
Adam Pfeifer breaks down the top three landing spots for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who is reportedly available for trade.
Brian Thomas Jr. has been the subject of trade rumors since the midway point of last season. And after the smoke died down this offseason, it appears the Jaguars are now entertaining offers for the second-year wide receiver.
The emergence of both Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington has suddenly made this a possibility, on top of whatever Jacksonville’s plans for Travis Hunter are at wide receiver. With so many players already switching teams to start the week, let’s find a hypothetical new home for BTJ, shall we?
Note: The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers would have headlined this list, but have since added DJ Moore and Michael Pittman Jr., respectively.
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While the Patriots have been linked to A.J. Brown, if Thomas is suddenly available for trade, perhaps he would be a more logical target. The team moved on from Stefon Diggs, creating a need for a true WR1 in New England.
Thomas’ rookie season suggested he could play that role for an NFL team, but his sophomore season told a different story. In 14 games, Thomas hauled in just 48 passes for 707 yards and 2 touchdowns, while his production especially took a dip once the Jaguars acquired Jakob Meyers midseason. From Week 10 on, Thomas averaged just 5.2 targets and 8.9 PPR points per game, as Jacksonville shifted his role to that of an exclusive deep threat. Of his 31 targets after the Meyers addition, 11 came 20-plus yards down the field. And during that stretch, he aligned on the perimeter just over 77% of the time.
A move to New England would once again present him with the opportunity to lead his team in targets, while also seeing more versatile usage. Kayshon Boutte ranked fifth in the NFL in aDOT (17.0) and first in yards per target (12.0) last year, already giving the Patriots a viable deep threat. But when Thomas’ number is called deep down the field, he’ll have an elite deep ball passer looking his way. In 2025, Drake Maye completed 52.5% of passes 20-plus air yards, the third-highest rate in football.
From a fantasy perspective, Chris Olave seeing 10 targets each week is fun. But from a roster-building standpoint, this move makes a ton of sense. The Saints obviously need someone opposite Olave, but especially a wideout who can stretch defenses vertically. That role once belonged to Rashid Shaheed, who was dealt at the trade deadline. Admittedly, a move to New England would be a lot more enticing for fantasy fans, but Kellen Moore’s offense in New Orleans remains very fantasy-friendly. This past season, the Saints ran no huddle 22.7% of the time, trailing only Kliff Kingsbury’s uptempo Commanders in Washington. The Saints run a lot of plays, and rookie QB Tyler Shough impressed during the second half of the season. Thomas also played his college ball at LSU.
I’m not saying. I’m just saying.
Following the Maxx Crosby trade, the Raiders now have four first-round picks over the next two years. Of course, this team obviously has many holes to fill, but one of them is very clearly at wide receiver. After the trade of the aforementioned Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas was deploying Tre Tucker as the team’s WR1, alongside 33-year-old Tyler Lockett and rookies Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton. Getting a true difference-making talent to pair with Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty would certainly make presumed top overall pick Fernando Mendoza smile. And while they are far from the same player, look at what new head coach Klint Kubiak just did for Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle last year.