Coming off of a terrific rookie season that saw him haul in 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, the future with the Jacksonville Jaguars looked very bright for wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
With first-year head coach Liam Coen joining the Jaguars this offseason, Thomas was expected to explode offensively, becoming a true No. 1 weapon for quarterback Trevor Lawrence in Coen’s offensive scheme, which he honed under Sean McVay early in his NFL career.
Through the first half of the 2025 season, though, Thomas has been anything but that true No. 1 receiver and budding star. Instead, he’s struggled with consistency in the Jaguars’ attack, and now might find himself available on the trade market.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Jaguars are reportedly taking calls on Thomas ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
“The Jaguars are listening on calls for WR Brian Thomas Jr., even if a move feels highly unlikely,” Russini writes in her latest buzz file for The Athletic.
So far this season in seven games, Thomas has just 27 receptions on 55 targets for 365 yards and a touchdown. While he leads the Jaguars in targets, he sits one reception behind first-round rookie Travis Hunter Jr., and is tied for second on the team with the one touchdown.
Where Thomas has really struggled this season, though, is with drops. He already has nine drops on the season after having just seven as a rookie. He’s really struggled to catch the football consistently, and with his limited production and issues doing his job properly, that might be why the Jaguars are taking calls on the second-year receiver.
Thomas also saw a decline in his yards per route run and his average yards per target in his first season under Coen. With Hunter in the mix now, too, the Jaguars could see a path toward trading the young receiver in the midst of a rocky season, potentially getting out from underneath an issue before his stock plummets even further.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the market for a wide receiver all season long, and according to several insiders, they are searching high and low for a receiver. There is no direct tie between the Steelers and the Jaguars regarding Thomas at this point, but it’s worth mentioning the amount of work and the reports about Thomas and the Steelers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler reported last year that the Steelers loved Thomas and believed that No. 20 overall was Thomas’ floor in the draft. Then, the Steelers passed on him and drafted offensive tackle Troy Fautanu. Three picks later, Thomas went to Jacksonville.
Even former Steelers cornerback and current CBS Sports analyst Bryant McFadden stated ahead of last year’s draft that he was hearing good things about Thomas, while former NFL Network and current ESPN analyst Peter Schrager, the master of mock drafts, had Thomas to the Steelers in his final mock.
The Steelers did hold a formal meeting at the Combine with Thomas, and assistant GM Andy Weidl attended the LSU Pro Day. So, there was undoubtedly some interest in Thomas.
If he becomes available, could Omar Khan and the Steelers swing big? Time will tell. But based on Russini’s reporting, the Jaguars are at least open to listening on Thomas, which could send shockwaves through the trade deadline.
