During their BYE, a report surfaced that the Jacksonville Jaguars were entertaining calls for Brian Thomas Jr. Since then, head coach Liam Coen has offered a rebuttal, noting that the team doesn't have any plans to trade the second-year wide receiver.
More recently, Coen expressed confidence in Thomas turning the corner, and rightly so. Despite his struggles, he tallied nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. Simply, you don't give up on a player as talented as him. Moreover, there's a strong chance that the Jags might not have gotten a good package deal in return for the 2024 first-round pick. A recent series of pitches may be proof of it.
The Jaguars are being offered a 2nd-round pick and a ham sandwich for Brian Thomas Jr.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report put together a handful of trade proposals in exchange for Brian Thomas Jr. despite the fact that Liam Coen said that the Jaguars weren't planning to trade him. He had a valid reason.
Knox broke down the verbiage Coen used. Specifically, he noted that the first-year head coach said that Jacksonville wasn't "planning" on dealing Thomas, and plans can change all the time.
Had Coen used more definite verbiage, something such as "The Jaguars WON'T trade Brian Thomas," he would have effectively shut down the noise for good. With that out of the way, Knox listed the Cleveland Browns, the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Washington Commanders, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as potential landing spots.
Some of the proposals are better than others, but all of them basically offered a conditional second-round pick and a player, one that filled one of the Jags' current needs. The Patriots' one stands out because New England would basically be trading a rotational player and the conditional second in return for Thomas. Here's the skinny.
"Again, Jacksonville can only expect a first-round pick for Thomas if he returns to Pro Bowl form, so a conditional second-round would make sense for a deal with New England," Knox wrote. "The Patriots, though, could sweeten the deal by including linebacker Marte Mapu."
Knox continued, "A 2023 third-round pick and converted safety, Mapu has shown flashes, especially in coverage. However, he's seen his playing time drop this season and has been on the field for just 13 percent of the defensive snaps. Mapu could benefit from a change of scenery."
For context, Marte Mapu has appeared in 35 games with 10 starts. In that span, he's logged 0.5 sacks and 78 total tackles. That's solid production coming from a rotational player, but the truth is that Jacksonville is stacked at linebacker and isn't in need of reinforcements in that position.
Why the Jags would acquire Mapu in a trade package is anyone's guess. Maybe if the Patriots included pass rusher Keon White in the deal, it would be more appealing. That said, they already sent him to the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the November 4 deadline.
The Jaguars need help on defense or maybe a boost at wide receiver
Another trade package Kristopher Knox proposes has the Jaguars receiver Elijah Moore and the conditional second-rounder from the Buffalo Bills. All things considered, it's a better pitch than the one that would send Brian Thomas Jr. to New England.
From 2021-2024, Elijah Moore averaged 50 catches for 540 yards with 2.3 touchdowns per year. This season, though, he's caught a measly five receptions for 78 yards with no trips to the end zone. It's hard to tell what's held him back, but a fresh start would definitely help him. On the other hand, it's hard to picture the Jaguars trading Thomas in return for Moore (and the second-rounder). The dropoff would be notable.
Ultimately, the Jaguars are better off keeping Brian Thomas Jr. and expecting him to turn the corner as the year progresses. If he continues to struggle, though, the trade speculation could resurface in the offseason.