Jaguars HC's latest remarks will have Brian Thomas Jr. feeling serious heat

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has been the subject of trade chatter dating back to the 2025 deadline, but the Jacksonville Jaguars have made it clear that he's not going anywhere. Their stance is understandable when you take into account that the 2024 first-round pick has previously shown game-altering skills. Sure, he's coming off an underwhelming season, but the Jags are confident that he can bounce back.

In fact, head coach Liam Coen recently stated that he wants to work with Thomas to improve in areas where he struggled last year. This, in turn, puts pressure on the third-year receiver to deliver.

Jaguars HC Liam Coen wants to help Brian Thomas Jr. fix his issues

Liam Coen had an exchange with Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union and said that he wants to attack the offseason with Thomas, noting that he wants to put the 2025 season behind him.

"This is a great opportunity for us to look at it with BTJ this offseason: these are the true areas where we can improve, let's go attack it with relentless pursuit and not worry about the results and what happened last year," Coen said via O'Halloran.

Like Coen, vice president of football operations Tony Boselli is confident that Thomas can bounce back and work on the issues that plagued them last season.

Specifically, Thomas struggled with drops and reeling in catches in the traffic over the middle of the field. Couple that with the fact that he sustained an ankle injury, and he suffered a steep drop-off in production, finishing the year with just 48 receptions for 707 yards with two touchdowns. In 2024, though, the former LSU Tiger was a playmaker for Jacksonville, hauling in 82 catches for 1,282 yards with 10 touchdowns.

And precisely because of Thomas' success as a rookie, the Jaguars are holding him to high standards. Now, he needs to prove that he can co-exist and thrive alongside Travis Hunter, Jakobi Meyers, and Parker Washington.

And that's the thing, Thomas was Jacksonville's main and pretty much sole target, but he now needs to share the workload. Heck, Steve Smith Sr. suggested that he wasn't thrilled when the Jags traded up for Hunter in last year's draft.

If that's true, Thomas had a chance to prove that he was still the same receiver who took the league by storm as a rookie. Instead, it had a negative effect on his performance.

Liam Coen's comments put the spotlight on Brian Thomas Jr.

Of course, Liam Coen will want to get the most out of Brian Thomas Jr., as he offers an element of verticality that makes the Jaguars offense hard to defend. And precisely because Jacksonville knows what he's capable of doing, Coen won't take it easy on him.

You could make the case that Thomas gets a pass in 2025 because he had trouble adjusting to Coen's scheme and dealt with injuries last year. But if he fails to put it all together next season, he's going to face some serious heat: How come he can play at a high level even though he's getting the team's support? Moreover, he'll deserve flak if he fails to stand out while other Jaguars receivers make an impression.

Working in his favor is that Brian Thomas Jr. controls the narrative. If he takes off in 2026, nobody will talk about last season. Similarly, the trade noise will die down. It's up to him to make the most out of his chances.