The Brian Thomas Jr. trade question has hung over Jacksonville for more than a year, and it now has a hard deadline: 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. After months of shutting down every call, the Jaguars are expected to at least listen to offers for their former Pro Bowl receiver, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Sunday, and the Kansas City Chiefs are the team most often tied to him.
“It sounds like they’re going to listen before Tuesday,” Schefter said, per Jaguars Wire. That’s a real shift. For most of the past year, Jacksonville’s message was simple: he isn’t going anywhere.
Why the Brian Thomas Jr. trade talk is louder now
The numbers explain it. Thomas was the No. 23 pick in the 2024 draft and was one of the best rookie receivers in the league that year, with 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns and a Pro Bowl trip. His second season dropped to 707 yards. Halfway through his third, he has 117, according to Heavy.
His playing time has fallen with the production. Pro Football Rumors noted his offensive snap share has dropped from 64.4% in 2025 to about 48% this season. In a loss to Houston earlier this fall, he didn’t play a single snap in the second half, Sports Illustrated reported.
Thursday night summed it up. Jacksonville beat Baltimore 33-10 to move to 6-2, and Thomas played only 19 snaps without a catch, according to The Big Lead. Schefter opened his Sunday trade rundown with that exact detail.
That’s the strange part of this story. The Jaguars are winning without him. Trevor Lawrence and receiver Parker Washington have played some of their best football while Thomas’ role has shrunk, SI’s Eva Geitheim wrote. Jacksonville is the AFC’s No. 3 seed and looks like a real contender. A team in that spot doesn’t usually trade a talented receiver. But it also doesn’t usually leave a former 1,200-yard receiver on the sideline.
What Jacksonville has said, and what has changed
The Jaguars have been firm for a long time. Head coach Liam Coen called Thomas early in the offseason to tell him he wasn’t on the trade block, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported. General manager James Gladstone also publicly pushed back on offseason reports that Thomas was part of trade talks.
As recently as late October, Coen said the team would keep supporting Thomas and look for ways to get him the ball.
The tone started to change around the same time. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that multiple league executives believed Jacksonville would “seriously consider” a deal. Then on Saturday, Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Jaguars “also could wind up dealing” Thomas, adding that they had received multiple inquiries in recent years and resisted all of them. Sunday’s comment about listening was the next step.
There are still good reasons for Jacksonville to say no. Fowler pointed out that a win-now team is usually trying to add players, not subtract them. SI’s Albert Breer has noted that even when Thomas isn’t catching passes, his speed stretches defenses and opens room for everyone else. And if the Jaguars haven’t traded him yet, it’s likely because nobody has met their price.
The Chiefs make the most sense, on paper
Kansas City keeps coming up for a reason. The Chiefs have shown continued interest, according to Schefter and Rapoport, and they need a receiver who can win down the field. CBS Sports has also reported the Chiefs are looking for receiver help before the deadline.
For Patrick Mahomes, Thomas would be a true deep threat. His rookie year showed what he can do when he’s featured. The question is price. Kansas City would be paying for 2024 Thomas and hoping it doesn’t get 2026 Thomas.
There’s also a health angle in Kansas City. Mahomes’ elbow MRI brought good news, and if he’s fully himself for the stretch run, adding a vertical receiver would make the Chiefs’ offense a lot more dangerous.
Other teams that fit a Thomas trade
Before Kansas City emerged as the front-runner, SI laid out five possible landing spots. Here’s how each one looks today, with what has changed since then:
| Team | Why it fits | What’s changed |
|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | Need a deep threat for Mahomes | Most often linked by Schefter and Rapoport |
| Rams | Davante Adams expected to miss extended time; Coen and Gladstone both came from L.A. | Puka Nacua’s knee injury makes the need bigger |
| Raiders | Receiver is a major weakness; the teams have traded before | Las Vegas is 4-5 after losing to the 49ers |
| Ravens | Need targets beyond Zay Flowers | Lamar Jackson is out and Baltimore traded for Jacoby Brissett |
| Commanders | Thin at receiver, and Thomas played with Jayden Daniels at LSU | Washington is 2-5-1 and more likely to sell |
The Rams are the most interesting team to watch. They were already without Adams, and Nacua hurt his right knee on Sunday with an MRI scheduled for Monday. If the news on Nacua is bad, Los Angeles would have a serious hole at receiver a day before the deadline. The ties between the Rams’ and Jaguars’ front offices could make a conversation easier.
Baltimore is a tougher fit now. The Ravens just watched Thomas play 19 snaps against them, and with Lamar Jackson recovering from thumb surgery, it’s fair to ask how much a receiver would help Brissett.
What a trade would mean for the Jaguars
If Jacksonville moves Thomas, it will be a bet on its current structure. Coen’s offense spreads the ball around, and the Jaguars are winning with Lawrence, Washington and a defense that just held Baltimore to 10 points.
There’s also a contract clock. As a 2024 first-round pick, Thomas will be eligible for a fifth-year option, and the Jaguars will have to make that decision next spring. A trade now would let them get value before they have to commit.
If the Jaguars keep him, they’re betting that a player who did this as a rookie can do it again, possibly in January. That’s not a crazy bet either.
What’s next
The deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Our NFL trade deadline guide tracks every deal made so far.
Whatever happens, Jacksonville plays at Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, and the Jaguars are 6-2 with a strong hold on an AFC playoff spot. Either Thomas will be in that lineup with something to prove, or he’ll be catching passes somewhere else. We’ll update this story if a deal gets done.
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