The Jacksonville Jaguars have made it clear that they don’t intend to trade Brian Thomas Jr.
The best-laid plans can change quickly, though, particularly in the NFL.
That’s even more true for a player who didn’t play a single snap in Sunday’s second half during the Jags’ Week 6 loss in London to the Houston Texans.
And it’s even more true for a player who hasn’t had a single catch in either of the last two weeks — while having a costly opening-drive drop in Week 6 and a near-TD in which he didn’t get his feet inbounds in Week 5.
At this point, no one can quite figure out why BTJ has fallen off a cliff in Jacksonville — but it also sure seems to point to a trade, whether the Jaguars admit it or not.
Brian Thomas Jr. Trade Plans Made Clear by ESPN
The latest report on Thomas is pretty definitive.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote a piece on Sunday night analyzing whether certain takes were overreactions or not.
One of the headlines he said was not an overreaction was this: “Brian Thomas Jr. is going to be the next big-name WR traded ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.”
He uses the word “next” because a very similar player type to Thomas, Marvin Harrison Jr., was already traded from the Arizona Cardinals to the Houston Texans.
But the fact that Graziano writes that such a take is not an overreaction suggests that the NFL insider thinks a trade is coming.
Why Jaguars Would Trade Brian Thomas Jr.
Graziano makes a compelling case for a BTJ trade, and while it’s not shocking to those who have been following the Jaguars, it’s certainly firm.
“The issue Thomas and other Jaguars receivers had with drops last season is one of the reasons Jacksonville felt the need to trade for the sure-handed Meyers and sign him to a long-term extension,” Graziano writes. “The Jaguars talked extension with (Parker) Washington this offseason and still could do one, though he’s setting the price higher with every stellar week. Thomas just might not fit in Jacksonville, and while the Jaguars have indicated they don’t have interest in trading him, the Cardinals were saying the same thing about Harrison as recently as two weeks ago. There are a lot of people around the league who believe Thomas could have a new home by the trade deadline. It’s a situation to monitor.”
All it takes is one other team getting a little more desperate or making a bit better offer.
The Jaguars view themselves as an AFC contender, and while having Thomas as depth is a nice luxury, it sure seems like they could benefit by trading from their WR surplus to get help at a position of need. BTJ would be an easy way to do that.
Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr. Trade Plans Made Clear by ESPN