JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Liam Coen had to get Brian Thomas Jr. on the phone. There was no time left to mess around.Coen, the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, had seen the mounting references to his wide receiver’s so-called trade availability, so he called Thomas early this offseason for a heart-to-heart. Coen vowed the Jags weren’t shopping Thomas, and the leaks weren’t coming from Jacksonville.Despite Thomas’ struggles in 2025, they were firmly committed to him and his development.“It was just important to let him know we’re all in this thing together, and this is not coming from us,” Coen told The Athletic recently.Coen told Thomas, “At the end of the day, all we’re trying to do is help you become the best player that you can be and that we want to be here for you on and off the field. That’s the kind of relationship we want to continue to build and grow.”Thomas, a first-round pick in 2024, finished fourth in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting that season, while flourishing with 87 receptions, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. He looked like a star in the making for the backsliding Jaguars, who cleaned house after missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season and hired Coen, one of the league’s brightest play callers who cut his teeth under Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.Coen injected offensive success across the board as a rookie coach, but Thomas was the exception.The LSU product caught just 48 passes for 707 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games last season; he tied for second in the NFL with 10 drops. The numbers were even more glaring compared to Parker Washington’s surprising emergence and Jakobi Meyers’ quick integration after the trade deadline.Naturally, with Thomas’ pedestrian stat line and a Jaguars regime in place that didn’t draft him, it was the perfect recipe for teams to call about his availability. The Jags rebuffed, even turning down a pair of significant offers ahead of last year’s trade deadline.