As a member of a four-win Jacksonville team, receiver Brian Thomas Jr. quietly had a very strong rookie season in 2024.
He led all first-year players with 1,282 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns, ending up as a Pro Bowler and No. 4 in offensive rookie of the year voting.
As the Jaguars continue their offseason program, quarterback Trevor Lawrence said this week that Thomas is doing well learning his second pro offense.
“I think the talent has always been there,” Lawrence said in his press conference, noting that Thomas has confidence coming off the rookie season he put together. “Now he has a full year under his belt. He’s one of the top receivers in the league. My confidence in him after seeing him do his thing for a year now, when you get the one-on-one, you feel really confident about our guy. I have a lot of confidence in him.
“He’s smart, it’s another system he is learning. Two years, two systems. I have just been impressed with how he carries himself and the work he puts in. You can tell he studies because he comes in here and he knows his stuff. It’s not an easy system to learn. He’s done a really nice job.”
Lawrence was able to play just 10 games last season due to injury, with Mac Jones starting the other seven. With that, the quarterback did have to reestablish chemistry with Thomas over the last few weeks.
“I feel like we were just starting to get that last season, then I went down, and we didn’t finish the year together,” Lawrence said. “Just being able to watch him even though I wasn’t playing — watching his one-on-one reps, the stuff we were doing with him last year, the situations he was put in, how he was able to adapt, play the slot and move outside and really take advantage of every matchup. That also gave me a ton of confidence.
“This is a guy that you can move anywhere, you can do anything, and he is going to find a way to get the ball because he is just that good.”