There is no doubt that the Patriots still need to improve their receiving corps for the 2026 NFL season, and, for the most part, the only option under discussion is trading for Eagles star AJ Brown. There has certainly been a lot of smoke around that, despite the constant downplaying from Philadelphia higher-ups about moving on from him.
But there is a chance that they either choose not to trade Brown after all the signs that they would, especially since they just traded for another receiver, or they agree to terms with another team that is not the Patriots.
So that means Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf need to keep their options open, and one of those players could be Brian Thomas Jr. from the Jaguars. The 23-year-old has been the subject of trade rumors for the past several months, stemming from his less-than-stellar second season after a breakout rookie year.
The Patriots could pounce on the opportunity to bring in a young pass catcher for Drake Maye to grow with, and because the quarterback is still on a rookie contract, they could go all-in to get Thomas on the team.
That's the approach Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report has taken in a new proposed trade, and although it's a lot to give up, this might be the year for New England to pull it off.
Brian Thomas Jr. might be the better trade option for the Patriots
Because there's a good chance that Thomas is traded before or during the upcoming draft, Davenport proposed several trades for the receiver, and the Patriots were one of them.
It would cost a pretty penny, and at first glance, it's a bit alarming to think about the team giving up that much draft capital. However, it might be worth it.
If they're willing to give up a first-round pick for Brown, then it's fair to assume they'd do the same for a younger player like Thomas. So that doesn't seem out of the question. The rest of the deal, however, might be a harder sell, since giving up three picks feels like a lot.
They could, of course, try to include a player in the trade instead, and that way, they keep a pick or two to still use this year, which might be a better option.
But if they do trade three picks for Thomas, they have eight other selections throughout the rest of the draft. There has already been a lot of talk about them trading up because they have two fourth-rounders and four sixth-rounders. So they wouldn't necessarily miss out too much.
It would be risky, and that's not something they can overlook. There is a lot to like about Thomas, but there are also concerns about his decline last year, with no obvious reason he couldn't replicate his rookie performance.
Perhaps a change of scenery could do the trick, and working with a more consistent quarterback like Maye, we won't really know until the Patriots decide to make the move. At the very least, it seems like a trade they should consider and weigh the pros and cons against their other options.
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