The Jacksonville Jaguars exceeded expectations during Liam Coen’s first season as head coach. Jacksonville went 13-4 during the regular season and won the AFC South division title. The Jaguars even played well during a heartbreaking 27-24 Wild Card loss against the Bills. Now the Jaguars are set to reload during the offseason before making another run at the playoffs in 2026.
But Jacksonville will face some tough decisions this spring, including whether or not to retain a few key free agents. Perhaps the best player on that list is running back Travis Etienne Jr.
Etienne had a career year during the 2025 season. He logged 260 carries for 1,107 rushing yards with seven touchdowns. That is good for 4.3 yards per carry, his best average since his rookie season. Etienne also added 36 receptions for 292 receiving yards and six touchdowns through the air.
The 27-year-old running back is on the older side, but he could still have a few years of elite production left in him.
If other NFL teams believe that too, then Etienne could be in for the biggest payday of his professional career.
According to Spotrac, Etienne could command as much as $6.8 million per season on a new contract. They estimated his market value at a two-year contract worth $13.63 million.
Will Etienne be on the move this offseason? And if so, what are the best potential landing spots for the dual-threat running back?
Below we will explore three of the best free agency destinations for Etienne after his career 2025 season with the Jaguars.
The Cardinals need an infusion of youth at running back
Arizona is an easy landing spot for practically any free agent running back this offseason.
The Cardinals could be open to shaking things up a bit, especially with Mike LaFleur joining the organization at head coach.
Veteran James Conner, who will turn 31 before the 2026 season, is an obvious cut candidate. Trey Benson has been disappointing, and the depth behind those two is nothing to write home about.
The Cardinals could be smart to add a bridge running back who can offer some consistency during the early stages of Arizona’s upcoming rebuild.
I’m not the only one who thinks so, either.
PFF’s Mason Cameron paired the Cardinals with Etienne in a recent article about the best landing spots for top free agent running backs.
“New head coach Mike LaFleur brings with him the experience of working under Sean McVay, and the diverse offensive philosophy that comes with it,” Cameron wrote. “Last season, the Rams ran the eighth-most outside runs in the NFL during the regular season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Etienne would flourish in a scheme that systematically attacks the outside, evidenced by his 90.5 PFF rushing grade on outside runs since entering the league.”
Arizona enters the offseason with $42.19 million in cap space. They should have enough budget to throw some money at Etienne to give their offense some much-needed speed.
Etienne could stay in the AFC South by joining the Texans
This one might be the nightmare scenario for Jaguars fans.
Houston has an obvious need at the running back position. Joe Mixon missed the entire 2025 season, which puts the veteran running back’s availability for 2026 into question.
The Texans likely won’t re-sign Nick Chubb either. That leaves them with just Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan at running back.
If Houston could land Etienne, they would gain a dual-threat running back who could stay on the field for all three downs. He would immediately become C.J. Stroud’s best friend, giving him a friendly target who could turn checkdowns into big plays.
Houston is just over the 2026 salary cap by roughly $1.5 million. But their salary cap significantly opens up in 2027 and beyond, so they could easily find some budget for Etienne.
The biggest drawback to this landing spot could be the weak offensive line.
If Houston is confident about solving that problem this offseason, then splurging on Etienne could make some sense.
Could Etienne return to Jacksonville after testing the market?
Why not just run it back?
Etienne is obviously a good fit in Jacksonville after what he showed during the 2025 season. However, I’m not sure the Jaguars can actually afford a reunion with Etienne.
The Jaguars enter the offseason $11.43 million over the salary cap. There are a few ways they can create additional cap space, but it may require some drastic measures.
Unfortunately, the presence of Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. could make it easy for the Jaguars to move on from Etienne. Especially with both players on cheap rookie contracts.
Perhaps this could work if Etienne takes a hometown discount. But even then, it may not be a smart move for Jacksonville.
The post 3 best Travis Etienne Jr. free agent destinations after career year with Jaguars appeared first on ClutchPoints.
