Jan. 26, 2026, 12:43 p.m. ET

ESPN NFL analyst Bill Barnwell recently assessed the wide receiver market for the upcoming offseason. This included free agents, cut, and trade candidates. Well, included in that last category was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr.

Now, Barnwell concluded by saying that there is no reason for the Jaguars to trade Thomas Jr. — that is, unless they could land something significant in return, which, to Barnwell, is a first-round pick.

However, Barnwell did also lay out why Thomas Jr. could be a trade candidate this offseason.

He first noted Thomas Jr.’s down year production-wise. Thomas Jr. totaled only 728 receiving yards, including the Jaguars’ playoff game, and dealt with dropped passes for a large portion of the season.

“Thomas lost nearly a full yard per route run, the difference between an elite campaign as a rookie and a below-average one in Year 2,” Barnwell wrote.

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Barnwell also noted the litany of pass-catching options the Jaguars have on offense, including Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange, and the running back position.

During Liam Coen’s end-of-season press conference, he was asked about Thomas Jr.’s role with the team moving forward.

“When you are part of a team that wins, the wealth will be shared,” Coen said. “It will never truly be about one player. I will continue to pour into these guys… BT will 100% be a part of that.”

I suppose anything can happen, and there was trade speculation around Thomas Jr. at this past year’s deadline, but I would be surprised if he isn’t on the Jaguars in 2026.

For one, he’s still on his rookie deal, which provides Jacksonville with tremendous value. He’s also still an ascending, high-ceiling player.

But beyond that, the Jaguars’ offense missed Thomas Jr.’s presence this season when he was sidelined with an injury. Along with his production, his ability to win downfield draws attention and can create opportunities for others in the offense.

The reasons to keep Thomas Jr. far outweigh any reasons to move on.