T
he Jacksonville Jaguars are suddenly facing issues near the midway point of the 2025 NFL season. Starting the campaign at 4-1, the Jaguars have dropped two straight and have fallen to 4-3 in a year where they have looked much improved from previous seasons. Missing the playoffs the last two seasons, the Jaguars are looking for their first postseason berth since 2022.
And while the Jaguars have shown a lot of promise this season, they still have had some issues that have plagued them all year long. One of the biggest issues they have dealt with this season is the production of second year wideout, Brian Thomas Jr. A Pro Bowler as a rookie after finishing the 2024 season with over 1,000 yards, Thomas Jr. has regressed considerably this season– to the point where his name has been brought up in trade rumors. But on Monday, Oct. 27, head coach Liam Coen quickly shut down any trade rumors regarding the second year veteran out of LSU.
The Jaguars’ Plan with Thomas Jr.
Thomas Jr. has struggled to adjust to Coen’s offense and even though he leads the Jaguars in receiving, his numbers at this point in the season are way down compared to last season. And with the Jaguars adding guys like Travis Hunter and Dyami Brown to the mix, questions have started to rise about Thomas Jr.’s long term role. But when speaking to the media on Monday and the trade deadline approaching, Coen made it clear that the team has no plans to part ways with their budding superstar.
“We have no plans to move Brian Thomas,” Coen said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”
So far this season, Thomas Jr. leads the Jaguars with 365 receiving yards and is second on the team with 27 catches, trailing only Hunter. But he does have five drops on the year– tied for second in the entire league– and already has more drops than he did all of last season. But one aspect of Thomas Jr.’s game that has been a real problem this season is how he appears to avoid contact while attempting to make a catch– something he has shown on multiple occasions this season.
Thomas Jr.’s Role With the Jaguars
Finishing third in the NFL in receiving last season with 1,282 yards, Thomas Jr. trailed only Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson— two superstars– while hauling in 10 touchdown catches. A first round draft pick in the 2024 draft, the Jaguars invested a lot in Thomas Jr. and picked him with the idea that he would be a superstar pass catcher for them for years to come.
And when Coen was hired by the Jaguars in January, he made it clear that the pass offense would run through Thomas Jr. However, in a recent press conference leading up to the Jaguars’ matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Coen said that he wanted to make Hunter more of a focal point on offense.
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