Lil Wayne Plans to Cite Shohei Ohtani for Travis Hunter’s First NFL Extension

Jacksonville, FL — When Young Money APAA Sports founder Lil Wayne maps out the first contract extension for client Travis Hunter, he already has a blueprint in mind: Shohei Ohtani’s record-setting baseball megadeal. Speaking on the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast, the rapper-turned-agent said conversations inside his camp intensified the day the Los Angeles Dodgers locked up baseball’s two-way superstar for 10 years and $700 million.

“The day Shohei Ohtani signed, we had a huge conversation,” Wayne explained. “You see how they paid him and why they paid him… Make sure they don’t need an explanation when they pay you as well.”

The parallel is obvious to Wayne. Taken second overall by the Jaguars after a Heisman-winning 2024 season at Colorado, Hunter arrived with the promise of revolutionizing Sundays the way Ohtani has transformed baseball. A stress-shortened rookie year—seven games, 28 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown on offense, 15 tackles and three pass deflections on defense—did little to dent that belief inside Young Money headquarters.

“That’s his whole thing,” Wayne said of Hunter’s insistence on remaining a true two-way player. “It’s not a battle for him… That’s his nature… It is so natural to him.”

Jacksonville’s coaching staff is reportedly leaning toward featuring Hunter primarily on defense in 2025, hoping to limit wear and keep the 6-foot-1 playmaker on the field for 17 games. Wayne, however, remains convinced the wide-receiver/cornerback can still impact both phases at a premium level, and he intends to negotiate accordingly.

Ohtani’s contract is structured around dual value: elite starting pitcher and middle-order slugger. No NFL player has ever secured a deal explicitly tied to production on opposite sides of the ball, but Wayne believes Hunter could force the league to rethink precedent. The agent’s message to his client is simple: let the tape speak loudly enough that no one questions the number on the check.

Health will be the wild card. Hunter’s rookie injury was non-contact, yet it served as a reminder of how quickly a two-way experiment can unravel in a sport defined by collisions. Still, Wayne, who calls Hunter a “generational two-way talent,” is betting the former Buff can author the kind of season that makes an Ohtani-style payday feel inevitable rather than debatable.

If Hunter answers the bell, Jacksonville’s front office could face an unprecedented dilemma: pay one player as both a top-end receiver and a lock-down corner? Only time—and production—will tell whether the Jaguars write that check without asking for an explanation.