Forget A.J. Brown. Brian Thomas Jr. should be the Patriots’ next move
Most of the talk this offseason has focused on New England acquiring A.J. Brown. For whatever reason, wide receivers always spark the most attention in free agency or trade talk.
Quarterback, obviously, is the NFL glamour position, but there are usually only one or two teams that have questions at their starting quarterback at this stage.
This year as an example, the highest profile quarterback move was Malik Willis being signed by the Dolphins to take over for Tua Tagovailoa who was released by Miami and signed by the Falcons.
Nobody gets too worked up over any moves made with offensive lines, tight ends, running backs, or defense, as a whole.
But wide receiver – oh boy!
Last year, it was Brandon Aiyuk (what is going on with him, anyway?) talk 24/7. Longtime Patriots fans will remember every offseason the talk centered around, "Trade for Larry Fitzgerald!" Or it would be my personal favorite binky, Anquan Boldin.
The last couple of years, A.J. Brown has been the guy New England fans and media have set their bull's-eye on. But there is someone else I would much rather have.
Brian Thomas Jr.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were gutted on the first day of free agency (technically, the beginning of the "tamper period"). They lost key starters Travis Etienne Jr. and Devin Lloyd. They don't have a first-round draft pick in 2026. Their first pick comes at number fifty-six.
As a result of this and other factors, there are rumblings that wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is being made available via trade. How often is a 23-year-old, former first-round pick wide receiver with a 1,000-yard receiving season already on their résumé made available? I'll save you a Google search – never!
Obviously, there has to be a reason Jacksonville is making someone like this available. Thomas led the NFL in 2025 with ten drops. He is one of those deep threats that has a case of alligator arms when he is asked to go over the middle. That's fine from a Patriots perspective. Drake Maye needs a reliable deep threat and boundary option. The Patriots have guys like Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, Hunter Henry, and Pop Douglas who can handle the middle of the field.
Another reason the Jaguars may be giving up on Thomas is poor chemistry with first-year head coach, Liam Coen. The Jaguars went out and traded for Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline to compensate for Thomas' lack of production. Parker Washington also emerged as a favorite target of Trevor Lawrence.
There was talk early in the season of Thomas "dogging it" at times and not giving maximum effort on every play. He also struggled with an ankle injury for the entirety of his second season.
Thomas' rookie season, however, was spectacular. Thomas was the last in a line of what was considered one of the best wide receiver drafts in recent memory which included Marvin Harrison Jr., his college teammate Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze. For much of his rookie season, Thomas was the best of the bunch – finishing with 87 receptions, 1282 yards, and 10 TDs.
If he is available, the Patriots need to go after him – and hard --after missing out on Alec Pierce in free agency. For the record, I had zero problem with New England not spending $30 million per year on Pierce.
A.J. Brown
So why am I down on A.J. Brown? With a young quarterback atthe helm, the Patriots don't need a prima donna receiver who will cry (or crack open a book on the sideline) if the ball isn't thrown in his direction every time.
Even Pierce was quoted last week in an interview as saying something to the effect, 'Once I get paid, the team will have no option but to throw me the ball more.' That turned me off right away from Pierce. Maye's strength last year was his ability to spread the ball around.
Another couple of factors against acquiring Brown are his age and contract. Brown will be 29 at the start of the 2026 season. Diggs was 31 at the start of last season and his signing, at the time, was criticized because people thought he was too old and way past his prime.
Brown is also set to make around $30 million per year through 2029 when he would be ... 32 years old.
Observations on who the Patriots did sign
If you listen to fans, you'd think the Patriots didn't make any moves on the first day of free agency. But they did have three signings which fill needs, but which didn't make fans' hearts go aflutter.
Reggie Gilliam, FB
No one but old school football pundits get excited over fullbacks. But the fullback position is an integral part of a Josh McDaniels offense. The Patriots used defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and under-sized tight end Jack Westover, out of desperation, at fullback in short yardage situations last year. I'm sure the hope was undrafted rookie Brock Lampe would have been "that guy" but he suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason.
Gilliam was PFF's highest-rated fullback in 2025. He was the lead blocker for the NFL's leading rusher in 2025 – James Cook. If you still want to mock the signing, look up Buffalo Bills' fans social media posts and relish in the fact that they are very upset about losing Gilliam.
Dre'Mont Jones, DL/Edge
Mike Vrabel had an outstanding offseason last year. The additions went a long way to molding the Patriots into the type of team Vrabel envisions. But there is only so much you can do in one offseason when you are starting from scratch.
The one thing, I believe, that was missing from Vrabel's vision was a dynamic physical talent that can be moved around the entire front-seven of his defense. Vrabel is looking for a freak, big-bodied athlete like Jamie Collins or – going a little further back – Adalius Thomas. More recently, the Patriots hoped Keon White might have been a fit for that role.
Dre'Mont Jones is listed as an EDGE. He is also listed as 6'3" and 283 pounds. He has played inside, outside, and even some inside linebacker. In 2025, ProFootballReference had him down for an incredible 24 QB hits. He has been very durable – not missing any games the last three seasons.
I view Jones as a possible replacement for Harold Landry III, who faded towards the end of last season. I also view him as insurance in case Vrabel decides to cut ties with Christian Barmore due to his off-field issues and on-the-field performance. I hope the latter is not the case. I want to see more of Milton Williams and Barmore developing together and wreaking havoc inside.
Alijah Vera-Tucker, G
Shortly after midnight, the Patriots filled a void on their offensive line. Get used to hearing this phrase:
"When Vera-Tucker is healthy, he has probably the most talent of any guard in the league."
But that is the issue, and it can not be swept under the rug. He has played in only 43 out of 85 games since entering the league as a 14th-overall draft pick of the Jets in 2021.
The Patriots moved on from center Garrett Bradbury which means Jaret Wilson is expected to take over at center – a position he was not considered ready to take over in his rookie season.
The Patriots have doubled-down on their commitment to keeping last years first-round pick Will Campbell at left tackle despite his struggles in the postseason. I think it is only inevitable that Campbell gets moved inside.
But for now, that left a glaring hole at left guard (again). Three other guards were signed before Vera-Tucker – David Edwards to the Saints, Isaac Seumalo to the Cardinals, and Zion Johnson to the Browns. Was Vera-Tucker New England's first choice? They'll never tell us, but I believe the Patriots value his experience playing every position along the line of scrimmage.
The question I ultimately have is:
Was Vera-Tucker signed as insurance in case Campbell's struggles continue next preseason?
While everyone is talking about him as a guard, he has started seven games (out of 43) at tackle. Just something to think about.
What's next?
So while Patriots fans go through their annual rite of passage of being up-in-arms about not making a big splash on Day One of free agency, I am reserving judgement.
At this time last year, Patriots Nation was complaining about not addressing the wide receiver and offensive tackle positions. The Patriots then signed Stefon Diggs later in the process and drafted Will Campbell with their first overall pick. All was well in the world and the Patriots shocked everyone by going to the Super Bowl.
I trust Vrabel and New England's front office have a plan in mind. The Patriots of the past – and past history means little, if anything, to Vrabel – waited for the first wave of free agency to settle down before making value moves that were in line with their budget.
This year's free agency class was nothing spectacular and I am not disappointed on missing out on any of the top free agents signed on Day One.
But they will need to do something more substantial than what they've done so far before Draft Day arrives.
This is no longer a rebuild. The window is now open.
What I would like to see now is the Patriots go, aggressively, after Brian Thomas Jr. Pair him up with Jauan Jennings and you have a dynamic starting wide receiver duo which will be a defensive coordinator's nightmare in the red zone. Both those receivers have size and proven touchdown-making ability.
Add a pass-catching tight end like Cleveland Browns' free agent David Njoku – who Vrabel is familiar with during his one year off from coaching when he roamed the sidelines with the Browns --and fans will quickly forget (and deny) their angst after Day One.
