JACKSONVILLE—Trevor and Travis Etienne, brothers who have each pursued football since childhood, will share an NFL field for the first time when the Carolina Panthers face the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite their shared passion for the sport and playing the same position, their six-year age gap meant they never played together at any level before.
“Yeah, we’ve never been on the field together,” said Trevor Etienne, rookie running back for the Panthers. “So he’s six years older than me. We’re six years apart. So this is our first time.”
While more than 350 sets of brothers have played in the NFL over its history, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, such moments remain uncommon given the league’s size and longevity.
The matchup holds personal significance for both siblings. “We’ve been talking about it since we found out about it; now go out there and compete against each other,” Trevor said.
Travis Etienne echoed those feelings while speaking with Jacksonville media during training camp: “I feel like it’s already a dream come true, but it’s going to be a surreal moment. It’s something that me and him kind of joked about, laughed about growing up as kids, but we always knew it could happen.”
Travis left Louisiana to play at Clemson University, where he won a National Championship and was twice named ACC Player of the Year before being drafted by Jacksonville in 2021. Despite missing his rookie season due to injury, he has since rushed 487 times for 2,691 yards with 16 touchdowns and caught 93 passes for 792 yards and one touchdown.
As Trevor prepares for his own NFL debut on Sunday with Carolina, he admits feeling mixed emotions: “I mean, I probably still would be like ‘good job’ internally. I’m still rooting for him, like everyone knows that, but it’s us against them at the end of the day, so I’m rooting for him, but I want us to win,” he said. “I want him to have the best game he can, but they just can’t leave victorious.”
Trevor started his college career at Florida before transferring to Georgia for his final season. Over three years in college football he accumulated 2,081 rushing yards and scored 23 touchdowns on 371 carries along with contributing as a receiver.
“We’ve kind of just been Snapchatting every day, keeping each other up with everything,” Travis shared. He added praise for Panthers Running Backs Coach Bernie Parmalee: “Coach Bernie [Panthers Running Backs Coach Bernie Parmalee] is his running backs coach…They were joking and laughing…I’m not really nervous for him because I know he’s got somebody over there looking out for him…because I know what Coach Bernie is about.”
With established rushers Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle leading Carolina’s backfield this year—both having surpassed 1,000 rushing yards previously—Etienne will primarily contribute as a return specialist on special teams early in his rookie campaign.
“He’s an outstanding catcher. He’s a great athlete,” said special teams coordinator Tracy Smith. “You’d love for him to hold the ball for the Panthers…So yeah, anybody who we can try to make yards with on any play, let’s go for it.”
Both brothers emphasized how much Sunday’s game means to their family attending in Jacksonville—including their mother Donnetta wearing a split jersey supporting both sons.
“They’re everywhere,” Trevor said regarding his mother’s excitement this week. “Not a lot of people get to experience this moment…I’m just really blessed to be in this position…”
Travis reflected on their journey: “You don’t just wake up and be an NFL player; it doesn’t work like that…my parents had to sacrifice…all my family had to sacrifice for us to be in this moment…”
As their professional careers continue they may meet again on opposing sides—as seen with other NFL siblings—but both agreed that sharing an NFL field together Sunday marks a memorable milestone.
“We played in the backyard growing up,” remembered Trevor. “So I guess it’s…back to those days.”
