Brian Thomas Jr. trade rumors completely overtook the NFL rumor mill, with the noise driven almost entirely by his mid-season stat slump. Thomas Jr.’s production hit a wall after going catchless across two straight weeks for the Jaguars, prompting head coach Liam Coen to bench him for the entire second half in Week 6 in Wembley.
That script flipped on Sunday vs. the Colts.
Thomas Jr. snapped out of the funk in a big way, ripping a seam route in the endzone to haul in a massive touchdown catch from Trevor Lawrence.
But it was his post-game touchdown that showed just how much the trade noise had affected him.
Brian Thomas Jr. On ‘Pent-up Frustration’
“Just a little bit of pent-up frustration,” Thomas Jr. said laughing post-game when asked about the frustration with all the noise around him, via Action Sports Jax.
Seconds after hauling in the pass in the opening drive, Thomas Jr. turned and hurled the ball straight into the sideline wall, admitting he was trying to “leave a dent in it.”
“That was my plan. I wanted to leave a dent in it,” he added. “It always feels good to get a touchdown. Still want more, though. Still wanna go out there and get more. Just trying to do the best that I can for the team.
This was the first time Thomas Jr. spoke amid the trade rumors, and it makes sense. He let his TD do the talking first.
“I was super excited,” Lawrence said of the touchdown pass. “It’s a team game, and you want to see all your teammates have success, especially the situation with BT. I mean, the guy’s so talented, he’s a great player, and obviously hasn’t been the easiest for him lately, but he’s been working extremely hard to make plays.”
That said, Thomas Jr. needs to keep stacking numbers like that to fully silence the noise. One big catch isn’t going to move the needle given the sheer volume of trade chatter surrounding him.
Brian Thomas Jr. Trade Rumors Not Stopping Anytime Soon
More than his back-to-back zero-catch games, Thomas Jr. went from a 1,000-yard Pro Bowl rookie campaign to drawing just 22 total targets through seven games. That is what prompted GMs to openly talk about taking interest in Thomas Jr., and receiver-needy teams like the Chiefs getting heavily linked with him.
Barely averaging three targets a game had media outlets openly questioning his fit in Liam Coen’s scheme, or if he’s heading toward an offseason exit before his fifth-year option even comes up. He needs a lot more touchdowns to prove Sunday’s breakout wasn’t just a one-week fluke.
Even on the day he scored his touchdown against Indianapolis, Thomas Jr. was only targeted twice. Trevor Lawrence only needed to throw 14 passes all afternoon in a 42-7 blowout, meaning one explosive red-zone snap saved BTJ’s stat line, even as 11 different Jaguars players drew targets.
Thomas Jr.’s mid-season slump directly coincided with Liam Coen completely reshaping Jacksonville’s receiver rotation. With Travis Hunter mixing in for high-value snaps and rookie Josh Cameron swallowing up the bulk of Thomas Jr.’s target share, the Jaguars’ offense proved it didn’t actually need Thomas Jr.
Add in Parker Washington’s explosive 124-yard, two-touchdown performance against Philly and Jakobi Meyers dominating the intermediate passing tree, and Jacksonville’s wideout room suddenly got crowded fast. Thomas Jr. was fighting to stay relevant in his own depth chart.
Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr. Finally Breaks Silence on Trade Noise Amid Heavy Chiefs Rumors