The trade deadline is coming up quickly, and the Pittsburgh Steelers once again find themselves in the thick of the AFC North race. 5-2 through seven games, Pittsburgh will almost surely be adding talent (assuming they do anything) as opposed to selling players away.
Based on the available talent and need, receiver feels like a logical target if a trade were to be made.
The crown jewel in the receiver trade market feels like it is Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars. While Jacksonville is also competing, Thomas has clearly fallen out of favor with the regime. His traits and youth make him naturally an appealing option.
In the past, I have said that the Steelers would be wise to target a player like Thomas. However, given all of the evidence, Thomas should be as far off the Steelers' radar as possible.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should be all out on the Brian Thomas Jr. sweepstakes
Thomas has to be one of the most unique receiver stories in the NFL right now. He was dynamic as a rookie and looked like a future superstar. His size and athleticism made him a mismatch and a tough-to-stop threat for the Jaguars' offense.
He entered year two with unprecedented hype. New head coach Liam Coen was viewed as an offensive genius. Adding him to the offensive room was setting Thomas up for a breakout year.
And then everything went sideways.
Early reports surfaced that Coen did not like the fit of Thomas in the offense. Despite lacking top receivers, Thomas struggled to make plays and regressed in a major way in year two. Parker Washington stepped up, while Jakobi Meyers was added at the trade deadline.
2026 has been even worse for the former LSU Tiger, as he has effectively been eliminated from the offense. Rumors swirled last year that the Jaguars would move on from Thomas. Now it feels inevitable given his pedigree and lack of role on the team. He only has 105 receiving yards through six games.
If the Steelers could get Thomas for a day three pick, I would be all for the reclamation project.
However, it has also become apparent that this trade likely won’t be cheap. We just saw Marvin Harrison Jr. in a similar situation get traded for a second-round pick and a late-round pick swap. Given the fact that both Harrison and Thomas are in identical spots (former first-round picks in year three of their rookie deals), Jacksonville seemingly has their asking price.
If I genuinely thought the Steelers could make a run at the Super Bowl, a second-round pick for a potential boom asset would be fine with me. However, Pittsburgh isn’t in that position (despite their record), so the risk isn’t worth the reward.
If Thomas goes for significantly less, I would certainly want the Steelers to consider him. Jacksonville has held onto him for far longer than most teams would have, though. It feels like you will need to have a significant deal to acquire the former 23rd pick in the draft.
I loved Thomas coming out of LSU, and his rookie tape made it seem like he was destined for greatness. Reclamation projects are high-risk, though, and considering the compensation the Jaguars may want, the Steelers can look for receivers elsewhere.
Add us as a preferred source on Google