Etienne brothers will square off on opposite teams for the 1st time since childhood

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Travis and Trevor Etienne have to go back to their childhood to find a game in which they were on opposing teams. Even then, they were merely playing for fun.

The brothers will have more at stake Sunday in Jacksonville.

The Etiennes, both running backs who were born 5 1/2 years apart in Jennings, Louisiana, will square off for the first time at any competitive level when Travis and the Jaguars host Trevor and the Carolina Panthers during the NFL’s opening weekend.

They are the NFL's newest brotherly rivalry, joining a distinguished list that includes Bosa, Cook, Diggs, Harbaugh, Kelce, Manning, Pouncey, Sharpe and Watt siblings.

Travis Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie contract, making this game essentially the first of many auditions before free agency in March. Trevor, meanwhile, is beginning his rookie season after Carolina drafted him in the fourth round in April.

“I want him to have the best game ever,” Trevor said. “They just can’t win. That’s it.”

Travis and Trevor spent part of the holiday weekend together in Jacksonville and reminisced about their youth and their paths to the NFL.

“I feel like it’s already a dream come true, but it’s going to be a surreal moment,” Travis said. “It’s something that me and him kind of joked about, laughed about growing up as kids. But we always knew it could happen.

“Just for us to be able to share that same field, I feel like that’s going to be a feeling that we knew would happen, but it’ll just be a surreal moment.”

Travis was a star at Clemson, finishing his college career as the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time leading rushing (4,952 yards). Jacksonville drafted him 25th overall in 2021. But his professional career has been filled with ups and downs.

He sustained a Lisfranc injury to his left foot as a rookie and missed the entire season. He returned the following year and notched the first of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He scored 17 touchdowns in those two years, but he averaged a career-low 3.7 yards a carry in 2024 and found the end zone just twice.

Now, he’s on his third head coach, in his third offense and having to compete for touches with Tank Bigsby and two rookies: Bhayshul Tuten from Virginia Tech and LeQuint Allen Jr. from Syracue. And with Etienne in the final year of his contract, no one would be surprised to see the Jaguars part with him at the trade deadline in early November.

“In reality, I feel like it’s the biggest season of my career because it’s the next one,” Travis said. “I just have to attack it like that and understand that if I don’t go out there and produce, then where are we going to be?

“For me, it’s just attacking each and every day. My results rely on my daily habits, so just coming in here and working each and every day, let that take care of itself, and then the rest is going to take care of itself. I really can’t worry about the end result.”

Trevor ended his college career at Georgia after spending his first two seasons at Florida, just a 90-minute drive from Jacksonville. He totaled 2,072 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground with the Southeastern Conference rivals despite constantly sharing carries.

He’ll open his NFL career playing behind Chuba Hubbard in Carolina. But it starts in a familiar place, at EverBank Stadium. Trevor played three games in his brother’s home stadium, winning once.

He’s part of a Carolina offense that expects to make strides in coach Dave Canales’ second season. Canales returned much of his staff, including running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, who worked with Travis for three seasons (2021-23) in Jacksonville, and hopes last year’s late-season surge carries over with quarterback Bryce Young, Hubbard, young receivers Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan, and an upgraded offensive line.

Trevor is counting on it — along with having family bragging rights until their next matchup.

“I can’t wait,” Trevor said. “I’m excited about this one.”

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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

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