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James Gladstone addresses speculation on Brian Thomas Jr.'s Jaguars future
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- James Gladstone addresses speculation on Brian Thomas Jr.'s Jaguars future
Rumors about Brian Thomas Jr.'s future with the Jacksonville Jaguars have been swirling since last season's trade deadline. However, whenever James Gladstone or Liam Coen is asked about Thomas Jr.'s future with the team, both remain 100% committed to the third-year wideout.
That was again the case on Thursday, when Gladstone was asked about the latest rumors and speculation that involve Thomas Jr. and the Jaguars.
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"No, we haven't," Gladstone said when asked if the Jaguars received a trade offer for Brian Thomas Jr., "and there hasn't been a ton of dialogue around that front. Teams check in simply because it seems like there's -- I know the word reputable came up earlier -- I don't think there's been any reputable statement (in regards to the Jaguars attempting to trade Thomas Jr.). We don't have any real action on any of those fronts."
Basically, the only conversations around Thomas Jr. have seemingly come up when teams reach out to the Jaguars after seeing various reports, which as Gladstone points out, have not been accurate.
"I care more for what weight that might put on Brian himself when it's something that's entirely out of his control and unnecessary," Gladstone said, via ESPN . "So I think that's where my mind would go, if anything. But when it's fraudulent claims, you just keep your mind on what you can focus on and you can actually control and try to do what's best for the Jacksonville Jaguars ."
After a very impressive rookie season in 2024, where Thomas Jr. totaled nearly 1,300 receiving yards, his production took a big step back in Coen's offense. In 15 games, Thomas Jr. recorded just 728 receiving yards and went from scoring 10 receiving touchdowns the year prior to just three.
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That production dip is what has largely contributed to the outside noise. This is also a Coen offense that is predicated on spreading the ball around in the passing game. The Jaguars may not have the traditional WR1 like some teams.
But even so, trading Thomas Jr. never made sense.
For one, Thomas Jr. is entering just the third year of his rookie deal, and given his previous production coupled with his potential, that is a tremendous value for the Jaguars, who still have two years of team control plus a fifth-year option.
Then, going beyond the production that Thomas Jr. can bring to this offense, when he was sidelined last season with an ankle injury, his presence within the offense was very much missed.
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With his ability to stretch the field, that creates better spacing and opportunities for others to exploit. When Thomas Jr. was sidelined, this element was missing, and the Jaguars felt the effects of that.
It's also worth noting that with Travis Hunter reportedly playing cornerback full-time and wide receiver part-time, Thomas Jr. is going to remain a big part of this offense moving forward.
"I think you think back to where we landed at the end of the season, where our passing attack was, we have no interest in disrupting the momentum," Gladstone added. "We look forward to continuing to build from where we left things and know that Brian Thomas is a big piece to that puzzle, and want to make sure that doesn't get disrupted at any time."
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL free agency: James Gladstone weighs in on Brian Thomas' future with Jaguars
