x
Have Jags changed their minds about future of Brian Thomas Jr.?
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Have Jaguars changed their minds about the future of Brian Thomas Jr.?

A report from this past weekend indicated that the Jacksonville Jaguars would not be in a rush to move on from wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who became the subject of trade rumors during this year's NFL Scouting Combine. 

It appears that interested teams have since received an update regarding Thomas' status. 

Has Jaguars' Brian Thomas Jr. stance changed?

On Monday afternoon, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY reported that the Jaguars "are entertaining offers for" Thomas. According to Hughes, the New York Giants and New York Jets "explored Thomas at the trade deadline last year" but found that Jacksonville wasn't interested in parting ways with the 23-year-old. 

However, Hughes said on Monday that the Jaguars' stance regarding Thomas "has changed." 

The Giants, Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders are among the teams previously linked with different pass-catchers throughout the offseason. Such clubs learned on Monday that Alec Pierce, who was on track to become the top receiver on the free-agency market, will be staying with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Back on Feb. 26, Andrew Fillipponi of Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan reported that the Steelers had "been in talks with the Jaguars" about Thomas' availability. On Monday afternoon, Hughes noted that Thomas could be had for a "reasonable" price. 

To compare, the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly want a first-round draft pick and a second-round selection for wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Why Jaguars may be willing to trade Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas may be seen as surplus to requirements in Jacksonville after the club acquired wide receiver Jakobi Meyers ahead of this past fall's trade deadline and then signed him to a three-year, $60M contract extension that included $40M guaranteed. Meanwhile, ESPN stats show that Thomas ended the 2025 regular season ranked second on the Jaguars with 48 receptions, 91 targets and 707 receiving yards. He recorded just a pair of receiving touchdowns over 14 games. 

A would-be buyer would likely hope that it could help Thomas reclaim the form that resulted in the 2024 first-round draft pick finishing his rookie season ranked third in the league with 1,282 receiving yards and tied for sixth with 10 receiving touchdowns. It remains to be seen if he will still be a Jacksonville player when the new league year opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. 

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!