Travis Hunter’s 2-Way Ability Raises Huge Value Potential—and Questions

INDIANAPOLIS — Travis Hunter insists he wants to play both offense and defense in the NFL—something that may complicate his professional future as franchises weigh making a major investment in the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner.

“I’m going to play both,” Hunter said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday. Last season at Colorado, Hunter played full-time on offense and defense for a total of 1,443 snaps.

And if a team wants him to choose one or the other? “That’s not my job to figure it out,” he said. “I’d like to play both sides of the ball. If they give me the opportunity to play both sides, I’m playing both sides.”

If Hunter is selected with one of the first five picks of the NFL Draft, where he is widely projected, he’ll receive a guaranteed four-year contract worth between roughly $36 million and $43 million, no matter his chosen position. 

But it will be just three seasons before he’ll be eligible for a long-term extension—when the real money will be available. And which position, or positions, he’s playing will be a major factor in how much a franchise will have to pay for his services.

In 2024, the average salary of the five highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL was $32.2 million. That’s more than $10 million above the average salary of the five highest-paid cornerbacks, $21.89 million.

What would a true two-way star in the NFL be worth, though? The idea is a double-edged sword, because while paying Hunter one salary to do two jobs could be extremely valuable, any playing time he misses due to injury (or otherwise) would be twice as problematic.

“Nobody has done it,” Hunter said. “I know I can do it.”

Football in Focus

Hunter is repped by Lil Wayne’s sports agency Young Money APAA Sports for on-field contracts and SMAC Entertainment for off-field deals, which include many NIL (name, image, and likeness) pacts in college and an existing Adidas ambassadorship.

But Hunter is adamant that he’s 100% focused on his playing career. “It’s all football for me,” he said. “I have nothing else to worry about.”

Shake-Up at the Top?

Fellow top draft prospect Abdul Carter, the star pass rusher from Penn State, is focused only on sacking quarterbacks in the NFL. However, his stock may have taken a hit this week after medical tests revealed a stress reaction in his right foot, potentially requiring surgery. On top of that, Carter had already planned to skip workouts at the combine due to a shoulder injury he sustained in Penn State’s Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State.

But Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN that doctors advised against surgery, and that he plans on working out at Penn State’s pro day on March 28.

Carter has been a top contender for the No. 1 pick, which the Titans currently hold, and he didn’t shy away from the idea when he spoke to the media Wednesday. “I feel like I’m the best player in the country,” he said. “And the best player should be picked first.”