Brian Thomas (shoulder) expected to play in Week 2

Fowler said the Jacksonville front office has told other teams they will not part ways with Thomas before today’s 4:00 eastern trade deadline. Thomas, 24, has been an afterthought in the Jaguars offense for much of the 2026 season after a down 2025 campaign. He’s run a route on 47 percent of the team’s drop backs while accounting for 9 percent of the team’s targets and 16 percent of the team’s air yards. Thomas has seen a target on 17 percent of his pass routes, the sixth highest rate among Jags pass catchers. Stuck in Jacksonville, Thomas will have some deep league value as a big play dependent wideout.

The Jags have shot down all offers so far, but it’s hard to justify his current usage when the team could instead recoup some draft capital by moving him. Thomas hasn’t caught more than two passes in a game since Week 2. He has three games with zero catches this year and played just 19 snaps on Thursday versus the Ravens. The Chiefs are reportedly interested, though that would require the Jags to send BTJ to one of their biggest competitors in the AFC. The Steelers and 49ers are also reportedly interested.

Breer and NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe put out similar reports today, indicating that the Jaguars are now hesitant to trade away Thomas. Per Breer, Thomas is not the best fit for coach Liam Coen’s scheme, but he “brings a downfield element that’s really important in keeping defenses honest against the run, and opening things up underneath for Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington.” Wolfe echoed Breer’s downfield sentiment and added that when the Jaguars traded away Tyson Campbell last year, it had a negative impact on the locker room — and Jaguars brass has “learned from it.” Thomas and Travis Hunter are reportedly close friends, and Thomas is liked in the locker room. It sounds like the formerly productive wide receiver might be staying put. Breer lists the Chiefs and Steelers, and the 49ers to a lesser degree, as the teams known to be seeking wide receiver help.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters today that general manager Brett Veach has been constantly sharing potential trade targets with the coaching staff for about a month. According to Goldman, the Chiefs could also target additions along the offensive and defensive lines, but he believes the team would “likely have to acquire a receiver through other means” before focusing on the trenches. There aren’t many free agency options right now, though, so it is unclear how this scenario would play out. Goldman notes that Josh Downs and Brian Thomas Jr. “have surfaced in trade discussions.” He does not think the Chiefs will make a move before Sunday, though a move early next week, before the November 10th trade deadline, is still possible.

Thomas is once again the subject of trade talks as next week’s trade deadline rapidly approaches. The 24-year-old receiver, who broke out for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, has earned just 22 targets through seven games this season and has a 10-117-2 line. With so many wide receiver-needy teams out there, it’s hard to imagine the Jaguars holding Thomas, who has become more of an afterthought in the offense, but they’ve resisted trading him over the last year despite multiple teams showing interest.

Thomas’ first quarter score — only his second of the season — was one of just two looks in a game where Trevor Lawrence attempted all of 14 passes against an overmatched Colts squad. He got lost behind the final Colts defender in the end zone and hauled in a dime from T-Law. Now the question becomes if he ever catches another pass in Jacksonville. With the Jags’ final game before the Nov. 10 trade deadline coming this Thursday night against the Ravens, Thomas probably will suit up for Week 9. With the Jags being highly unlikely to open up their passing attack vs. a Ravens side now down to its No. 2 or 3 quarterback, Thomas must remain glued to 12-team league benches.

Rapoport then named Josh Downs and Brian Thomas Jr. as players to keep an eye on. Both wideouts are in the midst of down years and their teams have already leaked that they are on the trade block. Thomas Jr. would hopefully unlock the once-vaunted Patrick Mahomes deep ball. Downs, on the other hand, would be another underneath weapon for a passing attack that his simply asking too much of Rashee Rice right now. Both players’ fantasy stock would skyrocket via a trade.

“I bet it, I know it. We’re gonna continue to support him, throw our arm around him and continue to do what we gotta do to make plays on Sunday. We gotta continue to put him in the best position to do so. BT works at it. He cares about this, he cares about winning and losing, he cares about his team. We all wanna see guys have success individually, but I’m excited about attacking this week with BT,” Coen continued. We’ll believe it when we see it, but at least it sounds like an endorsement that Thomas will remain in the playbook to some extent in Week 8. Fantasy managers that aren’t under duress probably shouldn’t tempt fate by putting Thomas, who did not catch a pass in two weeks in England, in lineups.

Schefter didn’t directly cite any sources, but the dots are extremely easy to connect. Thomas Jr. has been the subject of trade rumors for the past year and his role has all but disappeared this season. He hasn’t caught a pass since Week 4 and was benched in the second half of the team’s Week 6 loss to Houston. At this point, a trade is seemingly in the best interest of both parties. Expect the market for Thomas Jr. to heat up ahead of the November 10th deadline.

Appearing on ESPN Saturday morning, Fowler, citing Thomas’ zero catches over the last two weeks, said something has to give in this situation. According to several teams the NFL Insider talked to, Thomas could be traded over the next few weeks. Fowler listed the Chiefs and Steelers as potentially interested teams and was emphatic that there will be suitors for Thomas. If you have Thomas in fantasy, it’s hard to imagine his value getting worse with a change of scenery. The Jaguars would appear content to roll with Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Travis Hunter as their top receivers in the event of a Thomas trade.