Giants Could Target Pro Bowl WR in Surprising Trade

The New York Giants spent a lot of time addressing their wide receiver room during the offseason. They signed Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III during the first wave of free agency. They drafted Malachi Fields. They circled back around to sign Odell Beckham Jr.

Unfortunately, none of it has really worked out.

Austin tore his ACL in training camp. Beckham was cut a few weeks into the season. Mooney has been a virtual non-factor. Fields simply hasn't been used enough, and considering he's a third-round rookie, that isn't overly surprising.

Malik Nabers, thankfully, has looked more than okay after recovering from his knee injury and has posted three straight games of over 100 yards receiving. It also helps that tight end Isaiah Likely is like a big-bodied wide receiver himself.

Regardless, it's clear that the Giants need some depth at the position, and they should absolutely be weighing the possibility of adding a receiver between now and the NFL trade deadline. Like Jacksonville Jaguars wide out Brian Thomas Jr., for example.

It's hard to quantify exactly what has happened to Thomas in Jacksonville. He hauled in 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns during his rookie campaign in 2024. That was under Doug Pederson.

But even since Liam Coen has taken over, Thomas has become a forgotten man.

He caught 48 passes for 707 yards and a couple of scores in 2025 and was involved in shocking trade speculation at last year's deadline, but just two years into his career and with three years of team control still remaining, the Jaguars opted to keep him.

Based on how Jacksonville has been using him this season, that was probably a mistake.

Thomas has logged a mere nine catches for 105 yards through six games. He hasn't had a reception the last two weeks, and he's been targeted just 20 times overall in 2026.

It's looking more and more likely that the former first-round pick — who was a teammate of Nabers at LSU — could get dealt by Nov. 10, and New York should get involved.

I refuse to believe that Thomas is just a depth piece. He showed tremendous talent during his debut campaign, and a change of scenery is obviously needed.

At this point, the Jaguars can't expect to get much in return for the 24-year-old. He probably could have fetched an early-round draft pick last season. Now, he might actually be entering J.J. McCarthy territory.

The Giants are unfortunately almost out of Day 3 picks this year, but they can always try and entice Jacksonville to take future draft choices for Thomas.

A Nabers-Thomas duo in the receiving corps would be lethal, and Fields would be able to grow alongside of them.

If the Jaguars do make Thomas available in the coming weeks, the Giants should jump at the opportunity to land him.