Travis Etienne on Playing for Hometown Saints: ‘More Than a Cherry on Top’

Etienne also reintroduced himself to the press, pronouncing his name as ‘ay-chan’ instead of ‘E-T-N.’

Travis Etienne Jr. #1 of the Jacksonville Jaguars looks on before the snap during the NFL 2025 game between Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Nov. 9, 2025. Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne Jr. is grateful to be playing for his hometown team.

Etienne signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Saints this week. The Jennings, Louisiana native received interest from a number of teams, but he told NFL Network’s The Insiders that he could not pass up the opportunity to play for the Saints after watching them growing up.

“It was more than a cherry on top, man,” he said.

“It was the cake, the cherry, it was everything. Just having the opportunity to be able to play for the Saints, growing up in Louisiana, being a Saints fan my whole life, and being able to be blessed with this opportunity, I feel like it was more than a cherry on top.”

Etienne said one of his earliest memories was watching the Super Bowl-winning running back duo of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush in the mid-to-late 2000s. McAllister and Bush inspired Etienne and his brother, Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne, to play the position. He said he was grateful for the opportunity to chase their records.

But it wasn’t all sentimental. Etienne said he believes in the young core the Saints are building under head coach Kellen Moore.

“I feel like they have a great group of guys, have a great thing here,” he said.

“And I feel like we’re looking at the division they have here. I feel like we’re prime, we’re ready, and I feel like they [were] missing the key spots, a few key spots, and I feel like I like what Coach is doing. You got Coach Moore, who’s been to the Super Bowl, who just won the Super Bowl two years ago. So he knows what to expect. He has a great blueprint.”

“And I feel like the pieces—you have Tyler [Shough] at quarterback, you have [Chris] Olave at receiver. So you have pieces here, and you have a great defense. And I feel like it just gelled all at once, you know, and I feel like I’m just happy that I was able to be in this moment,” he added.

Etienne was born in Jennings, La., and played his high school football there. In his senior season alone, he rushed for 2,459 yards and 37 total touchdowns. He was recruited to Clemson, where he won a National Championship in his sophomore season.

He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 25th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, pairing him with his college quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. He missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury, but when he returned in 2022, he emerged as the Jags’ RB1. He rushed 220 times for 1,125 yards and 5 touchdowns and added 316 yards on 35 receptions in his redshirt season.

In 2023, he rushed 267 times for 1,008 yards and 11 TDs; he added 58 catches for 476 yards and a receiving touchdown. He had a down year in 2024, only rushing for 558 yards and 2 scores, with 254 receiving yards. But he rebounded in 2025, with 1,107 rushing yards and 7 TDs, and 292 receiving yards and 6 TDs.

Etienne will attempt to assert himself as the lead back in a crowded but diverse running back room. Veteran Alvin Kamara has been a fixture of the offense as both a runner and a receiver, but his production declined last season, and with Etienne’s similar skillset, his future with the team is in question.

Kendre Miller has flashed as a runner, receiver, and returner, but has not been heavily utilized in three seasons. They also have second-year pro Devin Neal, bruiser Audric Estime, and journeyman Evan Hull on the roster.

He also reintroduced himself. For most of his career, Etienne has had his last name pronounced “E-T-N.” But at the start of the interview, he pronounced it “ay-chan.” At his introductory press conference on Friday, it was the first question he was asked by a reporter.

“When I went to college, I kept telling them my name, like every day, every day, every day,” he said.

“After like four weeks, they just couldn’t get it. So I’m like, ’man, it’s E-T-N‘ ... and that’s how that became. And it kind of took off because it was easy for the pronouncers to say it. I didn’t have to just tell them. I didn’t have to correct them every day to say my name. And just when I kind of just started learning more about my last name and how it came about and things like that, it just kind of stuck and made sense. But I’m very much open to being Travis ’ay-chan' again.”