Brian Thomas Jr. was one of the best wide receivers in the league during his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars just two years ago. His follow-up campaign was much less impressive, and now the franchise is rumored to be seeking a trade for him as the 2026 NFL Draft approaches. Mike Florio provided a recent update on the situation.
Why Brian Thomas Jr. Trade Rumors Are Growing Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft
The Jaguars are currently without a first-round pick in the upcoming draft due to their aggressive trade strategy last year. Florio recently said this could be affecting their approach to this one. He outlined their potential thought process for what a Thomas trade could provide them.
“Last year, the Jaguars gave up this year’s first-round pick as part of the effort to move up three spots to get Travis Hunter. This year, the Jaguars may be using a prior first-round pick to get another one. As the draft approaches, we’re told that the Jaguars may be trying to lay the foundation for a potential trade into the bottom of round one. The potential bait could include receiver Brian Thomas Jr.,” reported Florio.
Jacksonville made a deal with the Cleveland Browns last year to move up three spots in the draft to land Hunter. They surrendered their first-rounder this year in order to do so, but Florio believes that they are trying to get one back.
The recent changes to their leadership, including at the head coach and general manager positions, may play a role in their apparent interest in trading the young wide receiver for a pick.
“For whatever reason, Thomas didn’t have the same impact under Liam Coen. With both the coach and G.M. who were with the team when Thomas was drafted gone, he becomes an asset the Jaguars could utilize in an effort to crash the round-one party,” explained Florio.
Thomas was extremely impressive in his rookie season, ranking fourth among all wide receivers in PFSN’s Impact Rankings, but he regressed all the way to 71st in Year 2. This gives him an interesting outlook going forward after proving he can be a legitimate weapon in the right system, but as Florio referenced, Coen’s may not be the best fit for him.
“Much of it depends on whether a player the Jaguars covet is available as the first round moves past the first 20 picks or so, and whether there’s a team in that window that would prefer to trade its first-round pick for Thomas,” added Florio.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
The potential trade will apparently hinge on who the Jaguars are specifically targeting in the draft and whether they are theoretically available late in the first round.
This suggests that a trade prior to the start of the draft is unlikely, but Thomas will be a player to keep an eye on as the first round progresses, especially if another team misses out on their desired wide receiver prospect and pivots to the former LSU Tigers star.
