There was chatter on the heels of a disappointing season for wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. that the Jacksonville Jaguars were open to trading their young weapon, but the message from inside the facility is that Thomas is not on the market.
Thomas is a name to monitor for the New York Jets, who have shown interest in him dating back to last season’s trade deadline, according to multiple reports. Despite the reported belief that the Jaguars are listening to offers, though, general manager James Gladstone said there have been no meaningful discussions about moving Thomas and that they have not received an offer for the 23-year-old.
“There hasn’t been a ton of dialogue around that front as teams check in, simply because it seems like there’s — I know the word ‘reputable’ came up earlier — I don’t think there’s been any reputable statement,” Gladstone said on a conference call with reporters. “We don’t have any real action on any of those fronts.”
While the Jaguars took a leap forward by winning 13 games for the second time in franchise history, they did so with Thomas producing significantly less than in his historic rookie season. He battled injuries and drops to post just 48 catches compared to the 87 he racked up as a Pro Bowler the year prior, and he scored just two touchdowns after racking up 10 in 2024.
Still, the Jaguars say they view Thomas as an integral part of an aerial scheme that was much more prolific in Year 1 of the Liam Coen era than it was in the final year under Doug Pederson.
“You think back to where we landed at the end of the season, where our passing attack was, we have no interest in disrupting the momentum,” Gladstone said. “We look forward to continuing to build off of where we left things and know that Brian Thomas is a big piece to that puzzle. We don’t want to make sure that that gets disrupted at any time.”
Thomas would undoubtedly command a competitive market if the Jaguars made him available. He is two years removed from flying off the board as the No. 23 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and one year removed from becoming the fourth rookie since 1970 to post 1,200 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Jaguars are on the rise, and that is exactly the kind of player they can build around. Even with a down year on his ledger, Thomas still looks like a foundational piece of this roster.
“It can be very strange, for sure,” Gladstone said of the trade buzz. “I care more for what weight that might put on Brian himself when it’s something that’s entirely out of his control and unnecessary. That’s where my mind would go, if anything. When it’s fraudulent claims, you just keep your mind on what you can focus on and you can actually control and try to do what’s best for the Jacksonville Jaguars.”