The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos are three teams we're eyeing as suitors for wide receivers in 2026.
The Steelers need a No. 2 and more depth, the Bills need a No. 1 and more depth, and the Broncos need a veteran complement to add to a group headlined by Courtland Sutton.
After he was the subject of trade rumors at last year's deadline, the belief was that it was possible the Jacksonville Jaguars could move Brian Thomas Jr. this offseason.
However, based on a new rumor about how the Jaguars plan to deploy Travis Hunter in 2026, such a move from the Jaguars becomes less likely.
According to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe, the Jaguars are planning to utilize Hunter more as a cornerback than wide receiver this coming season. It was the opposite in 2025, when Hunter played double the snaps at wideout.
"From what I understand, [the Jaguars] plan to play him as a full-time cornerback, a part-time receiver, which is a switch from last year when he played more than double of his snaps at receiver than cornerback," Wolfe said.
With the Jaguars using Hunter more on defense, holding on to Thomas is as important as ever. If the Jaguars were to trade Thomas now, they would have to replace him since they can't depend on Hunter for a full complement of snaps.
The reality is, it just doesn't make sense to trade Thomas, anyway. He's still just 23 years old and showed superstar potential in his rookie campaign before a sophomore slump in 2025. It's way too early to give up on him.
Thomas would amount to an upgrade for all three teams. He would be an elite No. 2 target in Pittsburgh and Denver, and Thomas would slide in as the No. 1 in Buffalo given their lackluster weapons in the passing game.
Thomas would be perfect for Buffalo in particular, as the Bills are low on cap space and the Jaguars wideout only accounts for a cap hit of $3.99 million in 2026.
If Thomas becomes available, we would expect the Bills, Steelers and Broncos to be among several teams lining up around the block to acquire him.
But with Hunter shifting to more snaps on the defensive side of the ball, the chances of Jacksonville trading Thomas significantly decrease.
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