As Brian Thomas Jr. faces trade rumors and Travis Hunter shifts to defense, Jacksonville emerges as a potential destination for the elite three-time All-Pro playmaker.
The Jacksonville Jaguars could be in the mix for one of the league's top wideouts.
AJ Brown, a three-time all-pro who eclipsed 1,000 yards in six of his seven seasons, has been rumored to be traded for a while.
The main team mentioned in these rumors has been the New England Patriots, coached by Mike Vrabel, who coached Brown with the Tennessee Titans for his first three NFL seasons.
Now, the Jaguars just might be in the mix, per a report by longtime NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.
"Another personnel exec mentioned Jacksonville as a potential fit for Brown," La Canfora wrote. "Jags receiver Brian Thomas, Jr. has regressed and been the subject of trade rumors and 2025 top pick Travis Hunter is going to be playing way more cornerback than receiver moving forward and a vet like Brown could help fill a void there."
To La Canfora's point, Thomas did regress in 2025.
After a monster rookie season in 2024 (87 REC, 1,282 yards, 10 TD), Thomas slowed down in 2025 (48 catches, 707 yards, 2 TD), with a combination of missing three games due to injury, early-season struggles with dropped passes and increased depth at receiver leading to a decrease in production.
Although Jags GM James Gladstone has strongly denied any idea that Thomas is going anywhere, naturally, people are still going to speculate.
As for Hunter, there technically isn't much of a "void" to fill with him not playing as much at receiver. Although his two-way capability is a big reason the Jags traded up for the chance to draft him No. 2 overall in 2025, Hunter's career at receiver amounts to 45 catches, 298 yards and a touchdown, so whatever the Jags offense is "missing" is based mainly on potential rather than production.
Plus, one of the reasons the Jags are comfortable moving Hunter to corner is the team's depth at receiver.
Even if Thomas doesn't return to his 2024 production, the Jags still have plenty of options.
Parker Washington (58 REC, 847 yards, five TD) is coming off the best season of his career, and the Jags will also have a full season of Jakobi Meyers, who had nearly 500 yards in just nine games after coming over from the Las Vegas Raiders at the trade deadline.
If the Jags keep Thomas and he's able to get even close to his 2024 numbers, Jacksonville could have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL even without making a trade for Brown.
Brown is currently on a three-year, $96 million contract that runs through 2029. The Jags are 24th in the league with $10,683,038 in cap space, so getting Brown would be complicated from a financial standpoint.
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