Trevor Lawrence sent a heartfelt message to fellow former Clemson/Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Etienne on Monday after the news that Etienne is departing for another NFL team.
Etienne, Clemson’s and the ACC’s all-time leading rusher, is leaving the Jaguars to return home to his native of Louisiana on a reported four-year, $52 million deal with the New Orleans Saints.
Etienne and Lawrence have been on the same team for the last eight seasons, including three at Clemson and five with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Together, they helped lead the Tigers to three straight ACC Championships and three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances from 2018-20, as well as the 2018 CFP national championship.
And this past season, they helped the Jaguars to a 13-4 regular season record en route to the franchise’s first AFC South title since 2022 and first playoff appearance since the same year.
On Monday, Lawrence took to X (formerly Twitter) with the following farewell message for Etienne:
“We’ve come a long way!! Going to miss you man been a hell of an 8 year run. Best is yet to come 💪🏼🧡”
Added Lawrence in a separate post:
gonna miss you bro 😭 As real as they come 🤝
The 2025 campaign marked the final year of Etienne’s rookie contract, with Etienne playing on his fifth-year option after being selected by the Jaguars with the 25th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
This past season, Etienne surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the third time in his four active seasons after missing his entire 2021 rookie campaign due to a season-ending Lisfranc injury he suffered in that preseason. He ran for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns on 260 carries in 2025, while also catching 36 passes for 292 yards and six scores.
The 27-year-old Etienne ranked 11th in the NFL in rushing yards this past season and 17th in the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,399. He accounted for a career-high 13 total touchdowns.
Overall, in 66 career NFL games from 2022-25, Etienne has rushed for 3,798 yards and 25 touchdowns on 897 carries while also catching 168 passes for 1,338 yards and seven more scores.
The NFL’s legal tampering window opened Monday, allowing teams to start negotiating with players’ agents before free agency officially begins March 11.
