Brian Thomas Jr "Needs To Be" Traded To The Steelers Immediately After Bizarre Week 6

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the teams around the NFL that could be looking to acquire some more talent before the league's trade deadline. The deadline falls on Tuesday, November 10th, right after the Week 9 games. Pittsburgh's bye week falls on Week 9, so the front office and personnel department should be able to put all of their focus on potentially bringing in some talent in areas of need. One of those spots is obviously wide receiver, especially with all of the injuries the franchise is going through at the position. The offense needs another contributor at receiver, and there should be some out there on the trade market.

There is a chance that Michael Pittman Jr. could miss the rest of the season with his foot injury, and Roman Wilson is also on Injured Reserve (IR) and he will be out through at least Week 10. DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard have performed well as of late, but the offense needs a third wide receiver with experience. There is also a chance that either Metcalf or Bernard could get banged up, and it will be important to have capable depth when that time comes.

One name that is going to be connected to the Steelers is Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was a first-round pick back during the 2024 NFL Draft. Former Pittsburgh offensive lineman Trai Essex wants to see Pittsburgh go out and acquire him, which he posted to social media.

"Brian Thomas Jr. needs to be a Steeler," Essex wrote. "Not sure why he fell out of favor down in JAX, but I don’t think that rookie year was an anomaly."

The Steelers being told to trade for Thomas is nothing new. His name was mentioned a lot around the trade deadline during the 2025 season and throughout the 2026 offseason, but Jacksonville never seemed willing to deal him. That might change now as he has gone on to have an unproductive start to the season, and he has kind of struggled to see the field.

Through six games in 2026, Thomas has caught just nine passes for 105 yards and one touchdown. Those numbers aren't horrible, but a franchise would probably expect more from its first-round pick from two years ago. He has been on the field for less than 50 percent of the offensive snaps for the Jaguars, and in Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans he did not see the field in the second half. He played just 21 percent of the offensive snaps in the loss, and it shows that he might no longer be a critical part of the offense.

Jacksonville has relied on Parker Washington as the team's top wide receiver, and Jakobi Meyers is right behind him. Travis Hunter is a factor as well as he had the best offensive game of his career on Sunday, and Josh Cameron has been a pleasant surprise. The Jaguars could seemingly move on from Thomas without the offense taking a major hit.

Steelers Would Ideally Want To Acquire Rookie-Year Brian Thomas Jr.

Thomas was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL during his rookie season in 2024. He caught 87 passes for nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns, but the team wasn't winning. Over the last two seasons his numbers have been down and the team has been winning, and it might be time for the two sides to just part ways. 

Unfortunately, the table has already been set for a trade like this. Marvin Harrison Jr. was dealt to the Texans along with a seventh-round pick for second and sixth-round selections. Thomas is from the same draft class as Harrison so the contract situations are the exact same, and Thomas has actually shown star potential in the NFL before. It would cost Pittsburgh at least a second-round pick.

What do you think about the Steelers acquiring Thomas? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

#SteelerNation