Brian Thomas Jr. is hands down the most talked-about wide receiver on the market right now, and Jacksonville is running out of time to make a decision.
The Jaguars haven’t given off any public signs that they’re shopping their former first-round pick, but front offices desperate for wide receiver help are blowing up their phone lines in Duval.
Blockbuster trades are everyday business ahead of the deadline, but there might be a final indicator of whether the Jaguars might consider sending Thomas Jr.
Jaguars Brian Thomas Jr. Trade Situation Will Be a Lot Clearer After Ravens Game
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler names the result of their Thursday Night Kickoff vs. the Ravens as that indicator.
“Also, Jacksonville must make a firm decision on Brian Thomas Jr. Several teams are interested (Chiefs and Steelers are in the receiver market) and are confident Jacksonville will eventually move him. But the Jaguars have not shown a willingness to do so yet,” Fowler writes.
“As was pointed out to me, the Jaguars have a window to win big and are in the business of adding, not subtracting. And Thomas still has value as a field-stretching outside receiver. The tricky part is that Thomas could force his way out eventually, like what Downs is attempting to do in Indianapolis. This situation should crystallize after Jacksonville’s game Thursday night in Baltimore.”
That boiling point has been brewing for weeks. Thomas Jr.’s mid-season slump got unbearable when he went back-to-back weeks without a single catch, driving head coach Liam Coen to bench him for an entire second half with a cold warning: “Guys need to play better.”
Brian Thomas Jr. Struggling on Jaguars Receiving Corps
While Thomas Jr. managed to catch a touchdown on the opening drive in Week 8, it was a smoke-and-mirrors stat line.
Outside of that single red-zone strike, Trevor Lawrence only targeted him once all afternoon in a game where 11 different Jaguars drew targets.
With Jakobi Meyers commanding the targets and Parker Washington exploding into a primary role, one explosive snap won’t save Thomas Jr. from being squeezed out of this offense, and Thursday night will decide if he’s packed up before the deadline.
The Steelers, the Chiefs, and the Commanders have been the three teams linked to Thomas Jr. the most, with the Chiefs being the heavy favorites to land the WR.
Jaguars Handed Firm Decision Timeline on Brian Thomas Jr. Trade Rumors