Brian

Thomas

He said that he had a lot of “little things” cleaned up this offseason. Thomas’ phrasing suggests he underwent multiple clean-up procedures over the past few months. It sounds like he played through quite a lot of pain last year as he dealt with wrist, shoulder and ankle injuries while adjusting to head coach Liam Coen’s new offense in 2025. Thomas is already drawing positive reviews at organized team activities. If he can sustain good health throughout training camp, he has a chance to deliver a bounce-back season in 2026.

Thomas had a massive day in practice on Monday, according to Shipley. Jaguars corners couldn’t keep up with his speed and Thomas toasted them repeatedly. For the second week, the Jaguars’ biggest plays have flowed through Thomas, Shipley writes. The team is “chucking it deep a ton” in practice. If that carries into the season, Thomas, who’s being drafted as a WR3, will be the primary beneficiary.

Lawrence found his groove after the team’s Week 8 bye, totaling 20 passing touchdowns, seven rushing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Coincidentally, Coen notes, their “average depth of target went up towards the second half of the season.” Coen wants to “keep pushing that envelope a little bit -– especially with [Lawrence] and BT.” Lawrence and Thomas have put a lot of work into trying to get their timing down this offseason, and Lawrence said, “it’s starting to pay off.” He feels like the two of them are “clicking more and more every day.” That’s great to hear. Thomas’ play dropped off significantly after an explosive rookie season, and trade rumors have swirled around him prior to the 2026 NFL Draft. If he can return to rookie season form, Thomas can smash his ADP this season.

Harvey is among the Jaguars beats who appear deeply skeptical of a recent report about the team trading BTJ for A.J. Brown in the coming weeks. Brown, long unhappy with his usage in the Eagles offense, remains a favorite to land with New England this summer. “Why would the Jags trade for a player who wants to always be targeted when their offense does not have a No. 1 WR by design?” Harvey said, referring to the mercurial Brown. “And they’re loading up to deploy more tight ends and Parker Washington is set for an extension and they just gave Jakobi Meyers one and they aren’t trading BTJ.” After going for nearly 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns as a rookie in 2024, Thomas fell off big time in 2025, finishing the season with 707 yards and two scores and operating as the third or fourth option in the Jags’ pass-catching pecking order. It would be a stunner if the Jaguars were to give up on Thomas, 23, after one down year.

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.