"All eyes" are on Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the NFL trade deadline on the horizon.
Jonathan Jones of The Athletic put together his weekly 'what he's hearing' article, and included was a section on Thomas Jr.'s standing with the Jaguars.
Trade speculation around Thomas Jr. has again ramped up in recent weeks, and following the recent Marvin Harrison Jr. trade, eyes are now on the Jaguars' wide receiver.
However, Jacksonville remains firm in saying that they won't trade Thomas Jr.
"The Jaguars have not indicated they will part with their 2024 first-round pick, even after he caught zero passes for zero yards in last week’s win against the Eagles," Jones wrote. "His name continues to come up in conversations around the league as Parker Washington solidifies himself as the Jags’ top wideout. Jacksonville hasn’t been in a rush to deal Thomas, and I suspect that will remain the case until we get closer to the trade deadline."
Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers are the top two options at receiver for the Jaguars, while the addition of Nate Boerkircher at tight end has led to more heavy personnel groupings. The emergence of rookie Josh Cameron has earned him more snaps as well.
The end result of all that for Thomas Jr. is that there have been fewer opportunities. Through five games, Thomas Jr. has caught just nine passes for 105 yards with a touchdown. He has only three receptions over the last three games.
While Thomas Jr. thrived as a bona fide No. 1 target as a rookie, this Liam Coen system isn't predicated on having that presence; rather, the scheme operates most efficiently when the ball is being spread around.
That said, there's no reason for the Jaguars to trade Thomas Jr. just for the sake of doing so. Even if the ball doesn't go his direction, his presence is still valuable, with the attention that he draws as a downfield target helping to open up opportunities elsewhere on offense.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars 'have not indicated' they will trade WR Brian Thomas Jr.