After the Jacksonville Jaguars hiring of Liam Coen, all signs are pointing to the end for Travis Etienne in Jacksonville.
After seeing how Coen was able to get the most out of Bucky Irving as a rookie, and the Jaguars getting another fourth round rookie in Bhayshul Tuten during the 2025 NFL Draft. This has created the opportunity for Coen to get the running back he wants.
Etienne is still a valuable player, and with Jacksonville having other areas they need to address on the team he could get them decent trade value back.
With Etienne, there is one team in particular that should be all over the trade if he becomes available and that is the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs Trade for Travis Etienne
This may be a bit strange considering the Chiefs have Isiah Pacheco as their lead back, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities for Kansas City to be looking for more out of their running back room. Etienne would provide exactly what Kansas City needs.
Why The Jaguars Will Trade Travis Etienne
In addition to Coen drafting Tuten, the team also saw Tank Bigsby outproduce Etienne last season. Etienne had just 2.48 yards after contact and had just two games in which he had over 13 carries.
This could’ve been a product of the Jaguars’ offense in 2024, as it was fully dysfunctional. With Etienne playing on his fifth-year option in 2025, and Jacksonville already moving on from players from the old regime like Evan Engram, and Christian Kirk, Etienne could very well be next.
Travis Etienne’s Fit on the Kansas City Chiefs
In the first two seasons of Pacheco’s career, he had back-to-back seasons with 1,000-plus yards. Pacheco is a physical runner, but also suffered a broken fibula last season that caused him to miss time. When Pacheco returned, he did not look like the same exact player, and it led to him having just 347 yards and a touchdown last season.
To keep Pacheco fresh for the future and to continue having a reliable back, it would be ideal to trade for Etienne. With Etienne, he brings a stable presence in the run game after averaging 4.3 yards per attempt over two seasons for a total of 2,862 yards and 19 touchdowns. Etienne brings the elusive ability to the offense as he has created 1,918 yards after contact.
Is there any hope for Travis Etienne now that Liam Cohen is in Jacksonville?
Did he get unlucky with injuries and bad QB/team play?
Is Tank Bigsby a legit threat?
Not gunna lie, I feel like he trips and stumbles a lot. pic.twitter.com/a74H3n3EwQ
— Fantasy Football Astronauts (@FF_Astronauts) February 6, 2025
Not to mention, Etienne brings a new element to the Chiefs as Pacheco isn’t necessarily the best pass-catching back, Etienne, on the other hand, has the ability as that was his specialty coming out of Clemson and has been utilized in the NFL with him accumulating 1,076 yards with an average of 9.1 yards after the catch. That’s on a limited scale too as the Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t utilized him in the pass game to the best of their ability.
A Chiefs’ offense with two capable running backs would provide a new element that they haven’t had, and would help them avoid ending the season as they did last year.
