Knee surgery shelves Jaguars rookie WR Travis Hunter until 2026

Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter is out for up to six months following surgery to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.

Hunter, who also plays cornerback, had the operation in Dallas on Tuesday and surgeons found no additional damage, the team announced on Tuesday.

Hunter missed the past two games and is on injured reserve.

The team timeline for Hunter, the No. 2 pick in this year's NFL Draft, to return to football activities is approximately six months.

Hunter, 22, was injured Oct. 30 while participating in defensive drills in practice.

Hunter had 28 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown and played more than two-thirds of Jacksonville's offensive snaps. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and two-way star at Colorado spent less time on defense in practice and in games, where he logged time on about 36 percent of Jacksonville's total defensive snaps.

To change draft positions from No. 5 to No. 2 in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the Jaguars parted with the 36th pick in the 2025 draft -- which Cleveland used to select Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins -- and their 2026 first-round pick.

Hunter said in April that he wouldn't feel added pressure to produce because of the assets the Jaguars used to bring him to Jacksonville.

"There's no pressure," Hunter said. "There's no pressure for me. I just have to go out there and do my job, be Travis Hunter. They did everything they could to come get me. Now, I have to do everything I could to help win and help the organization uplift them."

Since Hunter's injury, Parker Washington has emerged as a go-to threat for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Washington has 28 receptions for 330 yards and two TDs and has been targeted 26 times over the past three games.

Brian Thomas Jr. leads the team with 30 receptions but was inactive last week against the Texans. Thomas has a high-ankle sprain that could impact his availability for multiple games.

The Jaguars traded for Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers last week. Meyers played in Week 10 and caught three passes for 41 yards.