The 49ers’ receiver room has been battered by injuries, and the timing could push San Francisco toward a move. At 3-0, the team is in position to keep pressing for the playoffs, and one name floated as a possible target is Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., according to Alex Kay of Bleacher Report.
“The Niners could use another impact wideout, while Thomas could benefit from a fresh start in a more receiver-friendly offense,” wrote Kay.
Thomas entered the league as the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and his rookie year looked like the kind that usually stamps a player as a hit. He finished with 87 catches for 1,282 yards and ten touchdowns. Even with that kind of production, though, his numbers have dipped since then.
A big part of that story is the shifting situation around him in Jacksonville. Most of Thomas’ rookie production came with Mac Jones at quarterback rather than Trevor Lawrence, and the Jaguars also changed head coaches between his first and second seasons.
In 2025, Thomas was slowed by injuries and managed 707 yards in 14 games. His average dropped from 75.4 yards per game as a rookie to 50.5 in his second season, and his third year has opened even more quietly.
He is averaging 29.3 yards per game, while rookie sixth-round pick Josh Cameron is already cutting into his snaps. The talent is still obvious, but the fit in Jacksonville no longer looks clean.
That’s where San Francisco comes in. Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan’s offense would give Thomas a different setup than the one he’s working with now, and the 49ers would be getting a young receiver whose value has already come down.
The need in San Francisco is real. Evans is day-to-day with a rib injury, but he has been in and out of games all season, and the team needs to let him heal and use him only when necessary.
De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson are on the IR, while Deebo Samuel, KhaDarel Hodge, Jacob Cowing and Jacob Watkins make up the rest of the room. The 49ers also signed Brandin Cooks to the practice squad, but he is not the answer.
With the depth chart thinning fast, a trade for a young receiver who already has real production behind him would make sense.
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