The Jacksonville Jaguars did a good job of elevating the roster floor in free agency and will continue to acquire talent in the 2025 NFL Draft. That said, they already had several building blocks in place (even if their record didn't reflect it last season). One of them was wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who had an immediate impact as a rookie. Just recently, he earned praise from Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report.
Gagnon drew up a list of every team's most underpaid player and picked Thomas for Jacksonville, pointing out that the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist played like a vested veteran while having a manageable cap hit.
"Already a star following a Pro Bowl rookie season, the first-round pick out of LSU made just $2.7 million while going over 1,200 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns in 2024. "
Heading into the draft, there were questions about Thomas' footwork and ability to come down with contested catches. Ultimately, he was the fourth receiver drafted in 2024 but proved to be the best of the bunch. Aside from giving the Jaguars a bonafide WR1, the former LSU Tiger gave their offense an element of verticality the offense had been missing in recent years. Furthermore, he was a Pro Bowl alternate.
In retrospect, Thomas' success looks even more impressive when you take into account that he caught passes from Mac Jones for almost half the season. On top of that, opposing teams often zeroed in on him because Jacksonville didn't have other players who could draw coverage away from him, and the running game was nonexistent.
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The best is yet to come for the Jaguars and Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas ended up thriving in spite of his circumstances, but there's a chance he'll be even better in 2025. As good as he was last year, there are reasons to believe he'll be even better next season. For starters, he'll once again be catching passes from Trevor Lawrence, who should be back at full strength after suffering a labrum injury season.
Also working in Thomas' favor is that the new coaching staff will build a game plan around him. This wasn't always the case last season. Moreover, the Jags beefed up the offensive line in the offseason. Aside from giving Lawrence more time for deep routes to develop, they will put a renewed emphasis on the running game.
If opposing teams need to bring more defenders to the box to stop the run, they will no longer be able to devote additional players to slow down the sophomore receiver. If that wasn't enough, the front office signed Dyami Brown to line up on the opposite side of the field. When you add it all up, the recipe for success is there.
Of course, the Jaguars cannot target Thomas on every play, but having him around will make life easier for Lawrence. He should also help them win a few more games than last year, when they went 4-13.
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