Steelers Get Rough News As Jaguars Quickly End Trade Talks Over Brian Thomas Jr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been named as a team to watch around the NFL's trade deadline as the franchise has been interested in acquiring another cornerback and a wide receiver. The franchise has been calling around the league to try to find players to bring in at a reasonable price, and one of the players that the Steelers had shown interest in was wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Thomas had an amazing rookie year back in 2024, but his production has declined ever since then. Under the new coaching regime that entered the fold during the 2025 offseason, Thomas's role has been reduced greatly. He barely sees the field on offense, which made it seem like he was an obvious trade candidate. The Jaguars were shopping him for a bit, but that seems to be no more.

The Jaguars have turned into one of the better teams in the NFL, and the group seems to be a clear Super Bowl contender. Jacksonville does not want to get rid of any of its talent as of right now, but the group was active in bringing in players via trade. The team acquired Jessie Bates III and Jordan Davis on Monday. Jacksonville is looking like a team that could represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Jacksonville's moves on Monday clearly mean that the team believes it is set up to make a run at the Super Bowl, and the additions of Davis and Bates are going to help the team reach that goal. However, Jacksonville gave up a good amount of draft capital in acquiring those players, so it would have been understandable if the franchise wanted to recoup some picks by trading away a player like Thomas. He is arguably still worth a second-round pick, even though he is two years removed from his best season.

Thomas hasn't really played poorly, he just has not been given the opportunities to make plays. Both Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers play more snaps than him, and Travis Hunter is also becoming more and more of a factor on the offensive side of the ball. Jacksonville clearly still values the third-year wideout, but a fan wouldn't be able to tell that from watching any of the team's games.

Steelers Must Pivot At The Deadline

There was some mixed reporting about whether or not the Steelers were even interested in Thomas over the last few weeks. It has felt like the Steelers would welcome Thomas to the team, but maybe the franchise was not willing to pay the asking price of Jacksonville. The Jaguars might have felt like no team in the league was going to meet their asking price, but that could change in the offseason. Jacksonville will make a run at the Super Bowl, and Thomas will probably be on the market after the fact.

Maybe Thomas can become an option for the Steelers during the offseason, but as of right now the team is going to have to pivot towards finding a different wide receiver at the deadline. The Steelers should absolutely not stay pat at the deadline at receiver, as another body is desperately needed at the position. The depth in the room was questionable coming into the year and it has already been tested, and the Steelers need to strengthen the offense if the franchise wants to have any chance of competing in the AFC. 

Who would you like to see the Steelers go after at wide receiver? What do you think about the Steelers no longer having a chance to trade for Thomas? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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