Travis Etienne reportedly agrees to rookie deal terms with Jaguars
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By: Ryan O’Bleness
The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly agreed to terms with Clemson running back Travis Etienne on his rookie contract. Etienne, Jacksonville’s second first-round pick at No. 25 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft (following Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 overall), agreed to the deal with the team on Monday, first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Jaguars have agreed to terms with first-round RB Travis Etienne and he’ll likely sign his four-year rookie contract today, source said. Like Trevor Lawrence, the No. 25 pick gets no offset language in his deal and a large amount of his signing bonus upfront.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 19, 2021
According to Rapoport, Etienne’s four-year deal includes no offset language, just like the the deal that Lawrence recently signed. This essentially means that the running back can double-dip in salary if he were to be released prior to his fifth season and signed to another team. Also, as with all first-round picks, Etienne’s contract includes a fifth-year option.
According to Spotrac, Etienne’s contract is worth around $12.89 million over the four-year period. It includes a $6.74 million signing bonus, which Rapoport reports a large portion of will be paid upfront. Etienne’s average yearly salary of $3.2 million puts him 22nd among NFL running backs, and, is already significantly more than incumbent starting running back James Robinson — who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 — makes.
Travis Etienne’s contract w/ the #Jaguars should be:
▪ 4 years, $12.89M
▪ $6.74M signing bonus
▪ $2.34M 2021 cap hitHis $3.2M average salary ranks 22nd among active running backs.
https://t.co/kDJzYTUhki https://t.co/KdUcxtJ93S— Spotrac (@spotrac) July 19, 2021
Etienne had a stellar college career at Clemson. He is the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leading rusher with 4,952 yards, and also has the most rushing touchdowns in ACC history with 70. He also had 102 receptions for 1,155 receiving yards and eight additional touchdowns through the air. He won ACC Player of the Year twice, received All-ACC honors in all four of his seasons, and was also a consensus All-American selection in 2018 and 2020.
The Jaguars plan to use Etienne in a hybrid running back/wide receiver/slash role, and hope his electric playmaking ability translates to the NFL and helps take pressure off of Lawrence, Etienne’s college teammate.
With Etienne now signed, the Jaguars have seven of the team’s nine 2021 draft picks under contract. Tyson Campbell and Walker Little, who were both second-round picks for Jacksonville, are the only two rookie draft picks who are yet to officially sign with the team.
