The Los Angeles Rams have questions at receiver, and The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen thinks Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr. is the answer.
In a hypothetical trade proposal, Nguyen has Los Angeles sending a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Jacksonville for Thomas. He argues the Rams made a mistake in the draft by not upgrading the offense that this deal could fix.
The Rams tried to play it too cute in the draft and live in two timelines, taking quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick when the best option this season would have been a receiver. Davante Adams is 33 and had hamstring issues last season — it wasn’t hard to predict he would miss games this season. Puka Nacua has had injury and off-field issues. How would KC
Concepcion — whom I rated higher than Makai Lemon — look in their offense? They could rectify that mistake by trading for Thomas Jr. The Jaguars should be much more willing to trade Thomas Jr. to the NFC, rather than an AFC contender. Thomas Jr. would infuse much-needed speed to the offense, while his vertical route tree would complement Nacua, who makes his living in the middle of the field.
There is also an obvious connection between the two teams, too. Jaguars general manager James Gladstone is a former Rams front office executive, and head coach Liam Coen is a former Rams coordinator under Sean McVay. Both sides know each other well enough to have an easy line of communication before the Nov. 10 deadline.
Thomas was a first-round pick out of LSU in 2024 and made an immediate impact in the NFL. He caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, earning a Pro Bowl nod and finishing fourth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.
His production has dipped since. Thomas had 48 catches for 707 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games last season. This year, he has nine receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets through six games, three of them starts. His 11.7 yards per catch is a career low.
That drop-off could make Jacksonville more open to a deal, but the Jaguars haven’t signaled that. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported recently that they have “shown no signs of engaging in trade talks” about Thomas.
For now, this is Nguyen’s idea and not a rumor. But with Adams at 33, Nacua’s availability a concern and familiar faces running the Jaguars, the logic is easy to follow.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Hypothetical Rams trade sends mid-round picks for WR
