Is it just a matter of time before the Jacksonville Jaguars part ways with running back Travis Etienne Jr.?

With the Jaguars off to a slow start and with the 2024 NFL trade deadline less than a month away, rumors are beginning to swirl about the potential of Jacksonville sending Etienne to another team.

“The most obvious name is running back Travis Etienne,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote about the tailback's prospect of becoming a Jacksonville trade bait.

“A first-round pick in 2021, Etienne has slipped behind Tank Bigsby as the best running back on the roster, in the opinion of many. So why not send Etienne to a team that is looking to boost its backfield in an effort to contend?” Florio added.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr. on the move soon?

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) hands off to running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) before an NFL football matchup.
© Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Apart from his slippage in the running back depth chart amid the emergence of Bigsby, Etienne's value could have also dropped after being declared week-to-week by head coach Doug Pederson after he suffered an apparent lower-body injury during Sunday's 35-16 loss to Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Etienne only had three touches for a negative-one-yard output.

The former Clemson Tigers star running back put ink on paper to sign a four-year deal worth $12.89 million with the Jaguars in 2021. Jacksonville also picked up their option for the 2025 NFL season on Etienne which is worth $6.143 million. He was picked by Jacksonville in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft as the 25th pick overall.

As Florio noted, that commitment to pay Etienne next season could deter teams from going after the 25-year-old running back before the trade deadline, but he could still be worth a shot for a club looking to shore up their RB room. Perhaps going into a much better offensive environment could kickstart Etienne's career, provided that he is healthy, of course.

So far in the 2024 NFL season, Etienne only has 230 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries. His current pace puts him in danger of ending his streak of 1,000-yard seasons. After rushing for 1,125 yards and five touchdowns on 220 carries in his rookie season in 2022, Etienne generated a total of 1,008 rushing yards with 11 scores on 267 attempts on the ground the following campaign.