Julius Thomas is on the move. The tight end, one of the most physically gifted players at his position in the NFL, has been traded. The deal can not be made official until the NFL league year begins on March 9, but after that, Thomas will begin his tenure as a member of the Miami Dolphins.
Blockbuster trades
The trade will send Thomas to the Dolphins, with the Jacksonville Jaguars getting a seventh-round draft pick in exchange. The tight end signed a five-year, $46 million deal with the Jaguars two years ago, so he will still have three years remaining on his contract when he joins his new team.
Meanwhile, the teams are separately finalizing a separate trade that would send veteran left tackle Branden Albert from the Dolphins to the Jaguars. The trade would likely include a late-round pick going back to Miami. With the tackle having an enormous salary, the trade - in conjunction with the Thomas trade - helps each team balance their salary caps while trying to improve struggling areas of their respective teams.
Analysis
The Jaguars decided to send Thomas to Miami following two years of struggles in Jacksonville. Without the luxury of Peyton Manning serving as his quarterback, the tight end never developed a strong report with Blake Bortles in Jacksonville. This season, he recorded 30 receptions for 281 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
He has struggled with major injuries throughout his brief tenure with the AFC South squad.
Thomas will look to revitalize his career with the help of some familiar faces in Miami. The head coach of the Dolphins is Adam Gase, who was the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos when the tight end had the brunt of his NFL success.
His new team is in desperate need of a pass catcher that can haunt teams in the end zone, a skill Thomas certainly has. The next issue for Miami is figuring out who will throw the ball his way, since quarterback Ryan Tannehill is in danger of missing the start of next season after suffering a bad knee injury at the end of the 2016 season.
