Travis Hunter Issues Ultimatum to Browns Ahead of NFL Draft
The age of player empowerment in sports arguably arrived when LeBron James convened "The Decision" press conference in 2010, announcing his plans to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.
Player power has increased across all sports since then, though to varying degrees depending on the sport, the player involved and the particular circumstances. That said, 15 years after James shocked the NBA world and made enemies out of most of his former fans in Cleveland, the city is at the center of an eyebrow-raising ultimatum recently issued by NFL prospect Travis Hunter.
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Hunter, graded by most draft analysts as either the best or the second-best prospect in the 2025 class regardless of position (alongside Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter), won the Heisman Trophy in 2024. He did so playing both sides of the football as a starting cornerback and a starting wide receiver at Colorado.
Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.© Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images
Hunter has been clear in the weeks leading up to the draft that he desires to continue playing both offense and defense upon entering the NFL. However, on Tuesday, he threatened to walk away from the game entirely if whichever franchise drafts him doesn't agree to those terms.
"It's never playing football again," Hunter said April 15, just nine days ahead of the draft, per Garett Podell of CBS Sports. "I've been doing it my whole life, and I love being on the football field. I feel like I could dominate on each side of the ball."
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Hunter didn't name the Browns outright in his comments. However, Cleveland selects No. 2 overall, and several prominent draft analysts believe the Browns will ultimately pick Hunter in that spot.
Colorado Buffaloes cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.Facebook.com
As such, the Browns -- and potentially teams like the New York Giants at No. 3 and New England Patriots at No. 4 -- have to take Hunter seriously and assume his ultimatum is pointed directly at their organization.
Quitting the sport altogether and leaving millions of dollars on the table reads like an overreaction, if not an outright bluff, to a team not acquiescing to a highly unusual and potentially dangerous demand. Playing every non-special teams snap in a game, which Hunter has said he can do and wants to do, is considerably different at the NFL level than in college and carries with it a higher risk of injury.
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That said, Hunter took a strong position in what was -- at the very least -- an attempt to make clear his desires and assume a strong position in future negotiations with his first NFL team, which in many scenarios will be the Browns.
Related: Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter Earn Major Honors Ahead of NFL Draft
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