Brian

Thomas

Earlier today, NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said he was told that the Jaguars “may” be trying to trade up into the late-first round, and “the potential bait could include receiver Brian Thomas.” Thomas has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but in mid-March, general manager James Gladstone indicated that the team was not interested in “disrupting the momentum” by trading away their young wide receiver. Stay tuned.

NFL reporters and commentators who have suggested the Jaguars will shift Hunter to play mostly cornerback in 2026 and beyond are “completely misrepresenting” comments made by general manager James Gladstone and other front office officials, Shipley said. A lack of “media literacy,” Shipley said, has led league observers to incorrectly believe Hunter’s time as a full-time wideout are over. “At zero point have the Jaguars ever once indicated he will not play both ways, just as he did last year,” Shipley said, adding that head coach Liam Coen has “embraced the disrespect” of reporters who intentionally misinterpret what Jacksonville’s front office says. “He will just play more cornerback.” Hunter in 2025 averaged four receptions and 42 yards per game before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 7. Hunter’s offseason and preseason usage could provide some clues as to how he will be deployed in 2026. Those discounting his role as an every-down receiver may be proven wrong if Shipley is right.

This isn’t an outright denial, but the messaging is in line with recent reports. The Jaguars reportedly “have an extremely high asking price” for Thomas and are unwilling to budge, which makes sense. Doing so would disrupt the offense, to some degree, and the incoming trade offer must be worth it for them to move a highly valued asset. The talented, young wide receiver underperformed last year, but he remains relatively cost-controlled on his rookie contract for the next two or three seasons, fifth-year option pending.

This is a good reading of the will-they, won’t-they offseason saga of Thomas potentially being traded. The Jaguars seem willing to listen on Thomas, but aren’t going to do a deal just because he’s a lower-rung part of their offense than he was in 2024. “According to the source, teams believe the Jaguars’ price for Thomas is ‘at least one premium pick,’” Shipley adds. Thomas is only halfway through his rookie contract, not even counting the fifth-year option, so it makes plenty of sense that the Jaguars would hold on to him barring some kind of ridiculous offer. Shipley’s prediction is that Thomas will play for the Jaguars in 2026, at least until the trade deadline.

“They’ve denied [reports that Thomas were available] completely,” Schefter said. Connor Hughes said yesterday that the Jaguars were entertaining offers for Thomas. Reading between the lines, it sounds like the Jaguars are listening to offers but not looking to move Thomas. The fact that Thomas underperformed his 2024 season has fueled a lot of speculation, but little solid reporting, that Thomas was or ever has been available for trade.

It will presumably take a decent offer to pull Thomas away from the Jaguars, but the fact that the team is listening to offers is notable. As Hughes reports, both the Jets and Giants attempted to trade for Thomas at last year’s deadline, but Jacksonville was unwilling to move the former No. 23 overall pick at that time. After breaking out for 87-1,282-10 as a rookie in 2024, Thomas struggled in 2025, finishing the year with 48-707-2 in 14 games. The emergence of Parker Washington and arrival of Jakobi Meyers has created more target competition for Thomas. With teams always desperate to bolster their receiver room, the Jaguars could find multiple suitors willing to part with picks in exchange for his services.

There has been nothing to suggest that the Jaguars would be open to dealing Thomas, whose down 2025 season had many talking about a potential trade, especially with Parker Washington emerging and Jakobi Meyers now in town. That said, Jones said the Jaguars “value the 2024 first rounder” and believes trading Thomas isn’t on the table at this time. Thomas erupted for 87-1,282-10 as a rookie but as his numbers fall off to a pedestrian 48-707-2 in 14 games last season. A bounce back in 2026 would be nice to see, but he’ll again face stiff target competition.

Thomas was drafted by a previous Jaguars regime and his play fell off dramatically — completed with major effort issues — in 2025. “There has been no indication that trading Thomas is something the Jaguars are planning, but there are teams monitoring the situation in case the hypertalented LSU product has fallen far enough down the Jacksonville depth chart that the front office would consider a move,” Graziano said. ESPN’s Ben Solak named the Patriots, Bills, Steelers, and Raiders as potential Thomas suitors this offseason. As a rookie in 2024, Thomas went for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as an explosive threat, mostly with Mac Jones under center for the Jags. Thomas has shown vanishingly little chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, however.

Rest assured that Thomas will be “a key piece of head coach Liam Cohen’s offense,” but DiRocco seems to believe that Thomas’ complementary role will endure in 2026. DiRocco also notes that Thomas looked uncomfortable in training camp, setting the scene for an ugly early-season run. Thomas has had plenty of trade buzz from the outside this offseason, but a trade probably relies on another team evaluating him at his 2024 level rather than his 2025 level. If he remains in Jacksonville, it’s hard to count on him as more than a WR3 pick in 2026.

Half of Thomas Jr.'s receptions in this game and his touchdown came while Parker Washington, who led the team in all receiving categories, was on the sidelines for a concussion evaluation. Per usual, BTJ didn’t do much target-earning. That was one of his many issues in a frustrating 2025 season. Thomas Jr. went from 1,282 yards and 10 scores as a rookie to 707 yards and just two touchdowns, though he did add a rushing touchdown to the ledger. He also missed three games because of injuries, which was a constant concern. Even when Thomas Jr. was on the field, he seemed afraid of contact, often easing up on tough grabs, resulting in several drops and a poor contested catch rate. With Travis Hunter missing half of his rookie season, things could get even worse for BTJ next year. He finished 2025 as a fantasy WR4, even on a points-per-game basis. Fantasy managers will likely gamble on a rebound and take him as a high-risk WR3.