As Travis Hunter sat courtside the other day inside the Target Center to watch an NBA matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets, some Minnesota Vikings fans wondered why the talented Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback/wide receiver was in town.
Were the Vikings working out a trade to acquire Hunter from the Jaguars? He missed most of last season with a notable knee injury, but plenty of teams would still be interested in making a deal for him if Jacksonville were to put him on the trade block for whatever reason.
Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like his visit to the Twin Cities had anything to do with the Vikings.
During a recent episode of SKOR North's "Purple Daily," KSTP's Darren Wolfson quickly closed the door on any theories of Hunter ending up in purple and gold in the near future.
"Travis Hunter was sitting courtside just a couple of seats away from [Timberwolves head coach] Chris Finch. He's in town for an Adidas shoot. There's an Adidas connection [with Anthony Edwards].
..I'd love to tell you that somehow, Travis Hunter's representation was granted permission to seek out a trade partner, the Vikings are highly interested, he's here for a physical, [or] something like that.
But no, there is no Vikings connection to Travis Hunter whatsoever. There's an Anthony Edwards Adidas connection."
Sudden dream of Travis Hunter playing for the Minnesota Vikings was always too good to be true
There were probably a few Vikings fans who were hoping that Hunter was in town the other night to meet members of Minnesota's NFL team. Instead, he was in the Twin Cities to work with Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards since both are sponsored by Adidas.
Hunter in a Vikings uniform is still fun to think about.
Imagine all the different ways Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores could utilize him or what kind of out-of-the-box plays Kevin O'Connell would call for him on the offensive side of the ball.
Due to his knee injury, Hunter only appeared in seven games last season in his rookie campaign with the Jaguars. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft ended up hauling in a total of 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown while also only allowing a 50 percent completion percentage when he lined up as a cornerback.
Jacksonville originally drafted him with the intention to play him on both sides of the ball, but after getting banged up last season, it seems like he'll probably be spending most of his time in 2026 lining up as a corner.
To the disappointment of some Vikings fans who got their hopes up earlier this week when Hunter showed up to the Target Center, that time on the field next season won't be spent in a purple and gold uniform.