Just when you thought that the trade rumors involving Brian Thomas Jr. were dying down, they once again are picking up steam. While the Jacksonville Jaguars have emphatically stated that the 2024 first-round pick isn’t going anywhere, a report surfaced that he could be one of several veteran wideouts the New York Jets could pursue.
This is noteworthy when you take into account that the Jags reportedly engaged with New York in trade talks involving Thomas at the 2025 deadline. Now, just because the Jets want to acquire him doesn’t mean that Jacksonville will cave.
Having said that, maybe the New York can make an offer the Jags can refuse, which is precisely what they do in this proposal.
What would the Jaguars want from the NY Jets in return for Brian Thomas Jr.?
Early in March, Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic broke the news that the Jets were willing to trade virtually any player they inherited from the previous regime but Garrett Wilson. That means the Jags would pretty much have carte blanche if they wanted to pick a player from the New York roster. But therein lies the problem.
The Jets had one of the worst rosters in the NFL last year, which is why they struggled to rack up wins. Maybe the Jaguars could go after right tackle Armand Membou, who proved to be a stud in his first NFL season. However, they are planning on exercising the fifth-year option on Anton Harrison’s deal, so they aren’t in need of a starting right tackle.
The one thing New York does have is draft picks. Specifically, they picked up an extra first-rounder when they shipped defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys at the 2025 trade deadline. That pick became the 16th overall selection. While that may be too high a pick in exchange for Thomas, the Jags could sweeten the deal with one of their three selections in Round 3, let’s say the 100th overall.
With this trade, the Jets would get a receiver who’s already crossed the 1,000-yard mark on a cheap contract, while Jacksonville would get a first-round selection to address the larger-scale roster.
Grade the trade ideal: The Jaguars give Brian Thomas Jr. to the Jets in return for a 1st-round pick
Like his Jaguars counterpart, Jets general manager Darren Mougey has shown a willingness to make trades. In his case, though, he’s been focusing on purging the New York roster of players that the past regime brought in. But that’s just one part of the equation.
After dismantling the Jets roster, Mougey now has to rebuild it. That’s where draft picks will come in handy. Of course, he’ll also need some proven commodities, which is why trading for Brian Thomas Jr. makes sense.
The Jags, for their part, could afford to move on from Thomas because they have Parker Washingotn, Jakobi Meyers, and Travis Hunter in the fold. And by shipping him to the Big Apple, they would be getting a pick high enough to either bolster the interior defensive line or the pass rush, two of their most glaring needs.
Ideally, Jacksonville would want to give up just Thomas in return for a first-rounder, but because of how high the 16th overall selection is, throwing in an extra third round seems like a fair price to pay.
Grade: B