Jaguars Star Travis Hunter Teases His Dad After Heartfelt Moment With NFL Legend Jerry Rice

Fanatics surprised members of the 2025 NFL rookie class by gifting select draftees signed jerseys and personal messages from current and former NFL stars. Among the featured players was Jacksonville Jaguars No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter, who received a jersey and a message from the legendary Jerry Rice. After the surprise, Hunter teased his dad about his new memorabilia.

Travis Hunter Gets Surprise From Jerry Rice and Teases His Dad in Touching Rookie Moment

Fanatics brought together legendary NFL players, including Peyton Manning, Marcus Allen, and Tom Brady, to surprise the 2025 rookie class with signed gear and personal messages.

Hunter’s legend was Rice, one of the greatest receivers in NFL history. Rice shared some wisdom with the two-way superstar, telling him that hard work will always beat talent.

“I wasn’t the most talented guy out there,” Rice said. “But I had my work ethic, and I wasn’t going to let anyone outwork me.”

Rice isn’t wrong about his work ethic. The Hall of Famer didn’t run ultra fast and couldn’t jump out of the gym, but he worked harder than anyone to put together one of the most impressive NFL careers of all time.

Rice played in the league for an impressive 20 seasons. He finished his career with the most receptions, yards, and touchdowns in NFL history, catching 1,549 passes for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns.

While Hunter plays both cornerback and wide receiver, Rice’s advice still reigns true. While the young star has all the talent in the world, he still will need to put in the work to become legendary.

After receiving Rice’s message, Hunter was given a signed jersey from the legend with a personal note written on it.

Hunter wasn’t alive to watch Rice dominate in the ’80s and ’90s, as the former Colorado star wasn’t born until 2003, but his father was. Hunter joked that he’s going to have to hide his Rice jersey from his dad.

“They don’t understand how much this means to me,” Hunter said. “I’m definitely going to keep this and hide it from my dad, because he will try to steal it.”

It’s a hilarious moment from Hunter, since any fan who grew up watching Rice would love to have that jersey. Hunter’s dad was a football player himself and even played semi-pro in the Florida Football Alliance.

While Hunter probably won’t have the same career as Rice, it’s still an incredible moment for him to receive advice and a jersey from the NFL legend.