Jaguars Keep Telling Teams Brian Thomas Jr. Is Not Available — a Rival Executive Does Not Believe Them
Jacksonville's brass keeps telling callers that third-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is not available ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. One rival executive told The Athletic's Jonathan Jones the opposite — and Thomas's quiet October, two catches all month, is why the doubt will not go away before Sunday's Colts game.
Jacksonville Jaguars brass keeps telling teams that Brian Thomas Jr. is not available. At least one rival executive does not believe it. Asked whether the Jaguars would trade the third-year receiver, the executive told The Athletic's Jonathan Jones, in his weekly column Friday night, that they would — and Jones noted that executive's team does not need a wideout. Jones reported that Jacksonville remains firm with callers, and that if the Jaguars did move Thomas before the Nov. 10 deadline, the expected return would be a Day 2 pick.
The production explains the skepticism. Thomas has nine catches for 105 yards and one touchdown this season, per ESPN, two years after a 1,282-yard rookie season, and he caught two passes the entire month of October. Parker Washington has taken the larger role, with 26 catches for 416 yards and four touchdowns, and has drawn 44 targets to Thomas's 18.
There is a case for Jacksonville's stance: the 4-2 Jaguars lead the AFC South and are closer to buyers than sellers, and selling a player at his lowest value rarely helps. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has written that league executives are sensing the end for Thomas in Jacksonville, and ESPN named the Chiefs, Steelers and 49ers as fits. Sunday's home game against Indianapolis gives Thomas one more chance to change the conversation at EverBank Stadium.
