NFL teams are already making moves ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and more are expected to come in the next two weeks.
One of the most intriguing names that keeps coming up is Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and it’s pretty hard to pin down why he’s there.
His presence as a trade candidate should create a lot of questions.
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. is a fantastic name in the NFL trade rumor mill
Usually when a team looks to trade veteran players, it does so because it sees its playoff chances slipping away and wants to collect draft assets for the future.
But Jacksonville isn’t a team whose playoff chances are slipping away.
The 4-2 Jaguars are a legitimate contender in the AFC and, through the first seven weeks, look like one of the league’s best teams. This is not a team that should be looking to sell or should have any interest in downsizing.
Thomas Jr. is also a recent first-round pick, in just the third year of his career and not set to become a free agent after this season. So there is really no incentive or need to move on from him.
Is a mid-round pick really that enticing?
It should be a red flag to rival teams that an opponent, with an offensive-minded coach, would have interest (or at least potential interest) in moving on from that type of player.
After emerging as a potential impact player as a rookie, catching 87 passes for 1,282 yards, Thomas Jr. saw. that his role has steadily declined over the past two years (another potential red flag). It’s now at the point where he can barely see the football coming to him, and spent most of their Week 6 game not even seeing the field.
The argument in his favor for the Jaguars is that he is a potential deep threat and can get coverage downfield, opening up underneath passing routes for the rest of the offense. But if he doesn’t get the ball, and doesn’t make plays, there are too many opposing defenses to worry about.
Especially when he continues to struggle with dropped passes and has seen his catch percentage drop every year he’s been in the league, from 65.4% as a rookie, down to 52.7% in two years, and down to 45.0% now in three years.
It’s clear the Jaguars just found a wide receiver and playmaker they like better in Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers.
Maybe a team is looking at Thomas Jr. and saw his rookie performance and thinks it will rediscover that production and get the most out of him. Perhaps it sees a player needing a fresh start and a bigger role.
Even then, there was a chance that the rookie’s performance was a bit exaggerated in the situation during the season in Jacksonville.
That’s a four-win team that spent most of the season trailing the scoreboard and didn’t have much going for it on offense. There will be a lot of throwing with the team in comeback mode often. Someone will get those passes. Someone will take those yards. Even bad teams have top receivers, and Thomas will get a lot of that volume because of the lack of talent around him. This doesn’t mean he’s destined for NFL stardom or that his production that year is a sign of things to come for a contender.
He is an interesting player. An obvious talent, and one who understands teams. There are also some reasons for concern if you’re a team in the market for a wide receiver that shouldn’t be ignored.