HC Shuts Down Trade Rumors About First-Round Wide Receiver

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have the chance to land one former first-round wide receiver.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling following his visit with the team on Monday, but that doesn’t mean they are done trying to add playmakers ahead of the NFL trade deadline. That won’t come in the form of former first-round wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., though.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen had a quick and blunt response about the recent trade rumors surrounding Thomas.

“We have no plans on moving Brian Thomas Jr at all,” he said, via NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

#Jaguars HC Liam Coen, asked about WR Brian Thomas Jr:

"We have no plans on moving Brian Thomas Jr at all." pic.twitter.com/hh8gwxD8AJ

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 27, 2025

Thomas, 23, is in the midst of a very disappointing second season. As a rookie, he took the league by storm, recording 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, he has just 27 catches for 365 yards and one touchdown in seven games this year.

That, paired with the fact that the Jaguars traded up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, had many believing they could look to move off Thomas for the right price. That clearly is not true, though.

It’s unclear why Thomas has taken such a step back in his second season. He dealt with some injuries to begin the year, which could have contributed to his decrease in production. However, he has had some extra time to get healthy as the team is coming off its Week 8 bye.

If that is true, Thomas doesn’t have many excuses left if he can’t turn his 2025 campaign around during the second half of the season.

Thomas seemed to be a budding star as a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU, where he racked up 127 receptions for 1,897 yards and 24 touchdowns from 2021-23. The Jaguars are hoping that player is still in Thomas as they seem to have officially taken him off the trade block.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: HC Shuts Down Trade Rumors About First-Round Wide Receiver