Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Getty
The Jacksonville Jaguars are going all-in on this season.
They traded for Jessie Bates on Monday morning. They traded for Davon Godchaux midday Monday. And they traded for Jordan Davis on Monday evening.
This is a team that clearly has Super Bowl aspirations, and they don’t mind dealing away a bunch of draft picks to get what they want.
But they still have one unresolved situation: Brian Thomas Jr.
The talented third-year wide receiver is still with the Jags with less than 24 hours until Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline — but will he still be with them when the deadline buzzer sounds?
The fascinating thing now is that there are really two possible interpretations of these all-in Jags and how they pertain to Thomas. Let’s look at both of them here.
Why Jaguars Would Trade Brian Thomas Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars v Cincinnati Bengals
GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – OCTOBER 04: Brian Thomas Jr. #7 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates with teammate Brenton Strange #85 after scoring during the second quarter of an NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
The reason the Jaguars still would trade BTJ is the draft picks he could bring back.
The Jags have dealt away their 2027 first-rounder and 2027 second-rounder both on Monday. They’re quite shorthanded for the draft as things currently stand.
Obviously, that’s not their main priority. They want to win this season, and their deals have made that perfectly clear.
But there’s a case to be made that if they could replenish while trading Thomas, a player who isn’t producing much of anything, that could be worth it in the long run.
Why Jaguars Wouldn’t Trade Brian Thomas Jr.
Brian Thomas Jr. works during training camp for the Jaguars.
GettyJACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – JULY 29: Brian Thomas Jr. #7 of the Jacksonville Jaguars catches a pass during Training Camp at The Miller Electric Center on July 29, 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
The reason the Jags wouldn’t trade BTJ? They’re all-in on this season.
Why would they trade a talented player from their current NFL roster for draft picks in that context?
Thomas remains a field stretcher, and if Jakobi Meyers or Parker Washington were to get injured, he’d be that much more important.
The Jags clearly like Thomas or they would’ve dealt him away a long time ago.
They’re going to have to weigh their fondness for him, and the potential niche role he still holds, with the possibility of getting strong draft pick capital for Thomas in the here and now.
Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen