As the NFL trade deadline approached like a freight train on Tuesday afternoon, the Las Vegas Raiders made a major deal, unloading disgruntled wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on the Jacksonville Jaguars, receiving a fourth-round and sixth-round draft pick in return.
For the Buffalo Bills, the trade had to come as a disappointment. After Sunday’s morale-boosting win over their arch-rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills â despite playing behind a quarterback in Josh Allen who is the reigning NFL MVP â rank just 16th in the NFL in passing offense, measured by yards gained, with 1,792. Their 13 aerial touchdowns are only good enough for 20th in the league.
Clearly the Bills are in need of receiving help for Allen, and Meyers had been high on Buffallo general manager Brandon Beane’s list of trade targets, according to a report by longtime NFL correspondent Dianna Russini of The Athletic, in a report published Saturday.
Bills Could Trade for Jaguars 1st-Round Pick
Where do the Bills go from here, just hours in advance of the deadline? They also missed out on another widely rumored target, Rashid Shaheed who is now a Seattle Seahawk after 3 1/2 seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
Bills fans, and football experts, know who they want now. With Meyers headed to the 5-3 Jaguars where he will now catch passes from 2021 overall No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville â according to the expectations of Bills fans online â will now see their own 2024 first-round pick, former LSU standout Brian Thomas Jr. as expendable.
“Does this mean BTJ [aka Thomas] becomes available? Iâd give a first-rounder away and Beane should call now to check in,” wrote Train Wreck Sports scribe Ajay Cybulski. “I know Hunter is on IR, but surprising move.”
Fans Predict BJT Will be a Bill
Cybulski was referring to 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, a two-way star who had been used primarily as a wide receiver by the Jaguars so far this year.
But on October 31, the Jaguars sent Hunter to the injured reserve list after he sustained a knee injury in a practice session.
After the Meyers trade, the Bills became immediate favorites to trade for Thomas on the market-based online projection platform PolyMarket, though they soon fell behind the Pittsburgh Steelers who are also looking for a receiver.
“Brian Thomas Jr. is a Bill in less than 12 hours, calling it now,” wrote one fan on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“I want Brian Thomas Jr. or either of the New Orleans wide receivers,” wrote another. “I want us to make a move or two and be all in this year.”
Thomas, or BTJ as he is known to fans and the NFL media, is in the second year of his four-year, $14.6 million rookie contract, and would come with a $4 million cap hit this season. That would effectively max out the Bills available space, and they would need to make a minor move to free up room.
The Bills current rank 28th in the NFL with just $3.4 million in open space under the NFL salary cap.
Thomas has caught 30 of the 60 passes targeted his way this season, for 420 yards, after posting a 1,282-yard season in his rookie year.
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