Trading Brian Thomas Jr. suddenly feels like a real possibility for the Jaguars

Following his electrifying rookie campaign, Brian Thomas Jr. earned comparisons to some of the top wide receivers in the NFL, including Justin Jefferson and J'Marr Chase. The expectation was that Thomas was going to move up to the same tier as them in 2025 but ended up regressing instead. Suddenly, he became the subject of trade chatter, but the Jags made it clear that the 2024 first-round pick wasn't going anywhere. Recent developments may force them to reconsider their stance.

Aside from struggling with drops, Thomas was seemingly afraid of being hit when running crossing and in-breaking routes. Nevertheless, Jacksonville was confident that the former LSU Tiger could bounce back, and he kind of did in training camp.

Thomas turned heads because of his route running and his improved rapport with Trevor Lawrence through the summer. However, the regular season came, and his drop issues resurfaced in the loss to the Denver Broncos. Given that this isn't an isolated issue, the team's brass should consider trading No. 7 if he fails to put it all together in the upcoming months.

Why would the Jaguars trade Brian Thomas Jr.?

Teams in need of wide receiver help would have loved to land Brian Thomas in the offseason, but the Jaguars reportedly weren't going to sell low on him. Looking back, maybe they should've placed him on the trade block.

For staters, Thomas has caught six passes for 80 yards on 11 targets. His catch rate of 54.5 percent doesn't pop off the stat sheet, and his pair of puzzling drops massively hurt Jacksonville in Week 2. But leaving aside that he hasn't been able to shake off the drop concerns, other Jaguars players may be more deserving of targets.

Tight end Brenton Strange and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers are as sure-handed as they came, but they've only been targeted five and three times, respectively, two games into the season. Moreover, Jacksonville has the rookie duo of Josh Cameron and CJ Williams waiting in the wings. Both of them had strong offseasons, and maybe the coaching staff should see what they can do on game day.

Knowing this, trading Thomas might be a realistic possibility, and it would be interesting to see what kind of compensation the Jags could fetch and whether teams would still be interested in acquiring him.

You may also like: 3 easy fixes the Jags can make to bounce back vs. the Patriots

The Jaguars may not get much for Brian Thomas Jr. if they trade him

Back in the offseason, the Jaguars may have fetched a first-round selection or a conditional second that turned into a first despite the fact that Brian Thomas Jr. was coming off an underwhelming season, because of his upside. Right now, though, a fourth or a fifth may better reflect his value.

And that's the thing, most clubs that needed receiver help have taken care of the issue. Moreover, there's a chance that Thomas will bounce back. Heck, he told reporters that the New England Patriots game in Week 3 will give him the opportunity to do just that, and he's right.

The trade chatter will look silly if Brian Thomas Jr. does bounce back. However, the Jaguars shouldn't rule out the possibility of reducing his role and even trading him if his struggles continue.

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