Why Expectations for Brian Thomas Will Be Different in 2026

Brian Thomas Jr. finished his disappointing sophomore season in the NFL with another underwhelming performance in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 27-24 Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. Matching up with a Sean McDermott defense that prefers to keep opponents in front of them and features an old and shaky secondary, there was hope that BTJ could be a game-changer for the Jags' offense.

It looked like that would be the case. He grabbed his first catch early in the second quarter, a three-yard contested touchdown on a bullet from Trevor Lawrence. He'd have just one more reception, while Parker Washington had seven for 107 yards and a score.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Tennessee Titans, Brian Thomas Jr. — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) walks off the field after being hit during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 41-7, capturing the AFC South title. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Things could be different in 2026

Expectations for Brian Thomas Jr. coming into the 2025 NFL season were sky-high. He was coming off a transcendent rookie campaign, in which he finished third in total receiving yards. With Travis Hunter Jr. to take defensive attention off of him, a full season catching balls from Trevor Lawrence, and Liam Coen drawing up plays for him, there was no ceiling on what he could do in his second year.

Unfortunately, he severely underwhelmed, finishing with just 48 catches for 707 yards and three total touchdowns in the regular season, while struggling with drops, inconsistency, and injury. There was speculation that the Jacksonville Jaguars would trade him before the 2025 deadline. Those rumors popped up again as soon as the team was eliminated from the playoffs and entered its offseason. In his exit interview, General Manager James Gladstone reasserted that BTJ is in the Jaguars' future plans, although in a much lesser capacity than initially expected:

BTJ TD! @Jaguars take the lead.

BUFvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/y7yAaRyHwi
— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026

"The cool thing about our offensive system is each and every game presents a different problem for an opponent. You never know who it is that's going to pop off. You look back at the output of the collective. We had three receivers go over 700 yards... To be able to spread the wealth, so to speak, is a really positive thing. With [Jakobi Meyers'] arrival, it certainly allowed B.T. to continue to level up in areas that fit within the system itself that were fit for his skill set and allowed him to be the best version of himself down that back stretch of the season."

"But I think to your point, B.T. in particular, when you were talking a little bit about Travis being wide receiver one, the wide receiver one doesn't necessarily exist in the system in the way that you would typically feel like it might, and Liam can obviously dive into the nuances as needed." Perhaps playing freed from the great expectations that were laid upon him this season will allow him to find his wings again.

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