With the Jacksonville Jaguars currently on their bye week, there has been plenty of time to discuss wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.’s future with the team.
Specifically, whether or not he has a future with the team.
This season has been a nightmare for Jacksonville’s young receiver, and even that may be an understatement.
After his horribly disappointing 2025 season, the expectations for Thomas to bounce back this year were high. In his third season with the Jaguars, the 24-year-old looked terrific this offseason and seemed poised to regain a significant role in the offense.
Instead, he now barely has a role at all.
Through six games, BTJ has only nine catches for 105 yards and a single touchdown. Six of his catches and 80 of the yards came in Jacksonville’s first two games. Over the last four games, Thomas has a total of three catches for 25 yards.
In Jacksonville’s Week 6 loss against the Houston Texans, Thomas was held without a catch for the second straight game. He had a pair of bad drops and did not see the field after halftime.
The combination of his continued struggles, significantly reduced playing time, the emergence of rookie Josh Cameron, and the possibility of a larger offensive role for Travis Hunter has reignited trade speculation surrounding Thomas.
However, this time it seems extremely likely that Thomas will be traded.
Despite his ongoing issues, BTJ will have no shortage of suitors if the Jaguars decide to part ways with the embattled yet extremely talented wideout.
With the trade deadline less than three weeks away, Thomas’ time in Jacksonville may be nearing an end.
While it seems like he has lost the trust of his coaches and quarterback, at least one person in the organization is still confident in Thomas.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, who is also the franchise’s lone Hall of Famer, spoke with Action Sports Jax, and both expressed confidence in Thomas and downplayed his struggles.
“Guys have bad days sometimes. It’s the way it goes, but Brian Thomas is a Jaguar. and we know that he’s going to help us.”
Final Thoughts
As long as Thomas remains with the team, it makes sense for Boselli to speak positively of him.
However, Boselli’s words seem hollow.
He can praise Thomas for his run blocking, but the bottom line is that the Jaguars need so much more from him. Thomas needed to be one of the offense’s most productive and impactful weapons to prove he should still be part of the team’s future.
That hasn’t happened.
Thomas hasn’t had a “bad day.” He has had a bad season and a half.
It’s possible Boselli is trying to increase Thomas’ trade value, which all teams do when a trade is on the horizon.
At this point, a fresh start somewhere else is probably the best thing for both Thomas and the Jaguars.
Jacksonville giving up on a player as talented as Thomas hurts, but the Jaguars simply can’t afford to continue waiting for him to hopefully turn things around.