Veteran wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is continuing to have an eventful year. After being released and then re-signed by New England Patriots a week ago, Thomas still won’t stick long enough to make an official game appearance with the organization in 2019. Instead, he is heading to New York Jets.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Patriots traded Thomas to Jets in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2020. This move comes in the aftermath of New England’s acquisition of Pro Bowl wideout Antonio Brown.
Thomas’ trade marked the first time that the New England Patriots and New York Jets made a deal since 2000. That was the year when Pats sent a first-round pick to Jets and acquired their head coach Bill Belichick. Since then, Belichick dealt with all 30 other NFL teams but never with the Jets. At least, until now.
Demaryius Thomas split the past season between Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, before suffering an Achilles injury late in the year. After Texans released him in February, Thomas ended up signing with the Patriots on a one-year deal and looked to be in good shape through the training camp. He made his preseason debut against New York Giants, making seven catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite this, Pats released Thomas as part of the 53-man roster cuts. After he cleared waivers and remained unsigned, New England signed him back following an injury of rookie N’Keal Harry.
