Trade speculation involving Brian Thomas Jr. was rampant early in the offseason, and understandably so. The former LSU Tiger failed to live up to expectations in 2025 after taking the NFL by storm the year prior. But despite the chatter, the Jacksonville Jaguars made it clear that they weren't moving on from him. Not surprisingly, the noise has decreased substantially, but it hasn't completely died down.
Every now and then, you will see analysts suggest that Thomas can still be had. Zach Berman of The Athletic is among them.
Brian Thomas Jr. is mentioned as a trade target for the Eagles
Zach Berman answered questions in a mailbag in a recent column and said that Brian Thomas Jr. could take the Philadelphia Eagles over the hump if he were available.
"So I'm not sure there's that one move available that pushes them over the edge," Berman said. "If Brian Thomas Jr. were avialable, I still think he [can] give the Eagles a dimension that they don't have in the passing game."
For context, Philly won the Super Bowl in 2024 but was knocked out in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs last year. One of the biggest reasons is that the offense regressed. To remedy the issue, the Eagles dismissed offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and hired Sean Minnion to take his place.
Moreover, reports surfaced that star wide receiver A.J. Brown had grown dissatisfied with his role on the team, and his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts had soured. Philadelphia ended up trading Brown to the New England Patriots in exchange for a first-round pick.
Brown's departure left a void on offense, and Brian Thomas Jr. has been brougth up as a potential answer to fill it. Granted, the Eagles added Makai Lemon and traded for Dontayvion Wick, but neither is currently in the same echelon as Thomas.
Either way, this isn't the first time Philly has been dubbed a trade destination for Thomas. That doesn't mean it will happen, though.
The Jaguars won't be trading Brian Thomas Jr. to the Eagles
On paper, the Jaguars could ask for a first in return for Brian Thomas Jr. That would be a fair price to pay if any potential suitors think he can be the last piece of the puzzle to spark a deep playoff push. Conversely, why would Jacksonville want to move on from a player who's already shown that he can take over games?
Thomas is coming off an underwhelming season, but he's been putting in the work to get back on track, something that hasn't been lost on his teammates and head coach Liam Coen. If the 2024 former first-round pick truly reached the level he displayed as a rookie, it wouldn't make sense to trade him. Not. One. Bit.
You could argue that the Jags could afford to trade Thomas because they also have Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, and Travis Hunter in the mix. But none of them possesses Thomas' deep threat capabilities. Even when he wasn't at his best in 2025, opposing defenses still doubled him. That's just how much of a game-changer he is.
It's also worth noting that Thomas and Trevor Lawrence have worked on their rapport this offseason. That should result in more deep shots, which will in turn create more favorable matchups for Washington, Meyers, and Hunter.
Simply put, the Jaguars are better with Brian Thomas Jr. They know that he's coming off a down season but are confident that he'll bounce back. For his part, he's been doing his best to prove that he's still the receiver that defenses couldn't contain in 2024. When you add it all up, trading him and watching him flourish with another would be the worst possible thing the Jags could do.
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