JACKSONVILLE – Brian Thomas Jr. has been good this season. Really good.

Whether really good is good enough for the most-prestigious rookie honor is another question. But quarterback Mac Jones said the Jaguars' best rookie certainly should be considered.

"He definitely is deserving of it," Jones said as the Jaguars (4-12) prepared to play the Indianapolis Colts (7-9) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., in the 2024 regular-season finale Sunday.

Head Coach Doug Pederson agreed.

"He would definitely be in that conversation," Pederson said.

Thomas, the No. 23 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,179 receiving yards and is tied for third in the NFL with 10 receiving touchdowns. Thomas has caught 80 passes this season, with his receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns all Jaguars single-season rookie records.

"He's a great player," Jones said. "He's meant a lot to this team this year specifically, and to do it as a rookie is pretty much insane. I'm excited for him."

Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers has 108 receptions for 1,144 yards and four touchdowns, with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (25 touchdowns, nine interceptions) – Thomas' teammate at Louisiana State University – widely considered the Rookie-of-the-Year favorite.

"The quarterback position obviously gets the most looks, and Jayden's played well," Pederson said. "He has led the Commanders to where they are [as a postseason-qualifying team] and obviously continuing to play. If it wasn't for that, he (Thomas) would definitely be in that conversation."

Pederson, as he has several times in recent weeks, spoke highly on Wednesday of Thomas' potential moving forward – discussing Thomas in the same vein as elite NFL receivers such as Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Pederson called those two players "the benchmark" for Thomas.

"You have to look at Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr and those guys and say, 'Hey, if he's in that company, then I think you can continue to get better,''' Pederson said. "Those guys continue to improve, and their ceiling is extremely high, and they're impact players for their teams.

"They're game-changers for their teams and that's what we see Brian Thomas as."

NOTABLE MOMENTS FROM WEDNESDAY PRESS CONFERENCE - WEEK 18

• Jones on Wednesday also discussed his NFL future as Sunday approaches. The No. 15 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jones joined the Jaguars in a March 2024 trade with the New England Patriots – the team for which he started from 2021-2023. Jones, who has thrown seven touchdown passes with seven interceptions this season while starting the last six games for injured starter Trevor Lawrence, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March 2025. "That's always the million-dollar question for everybody," Jones said. "You're either under contract or not." He added, "It's tough. You're trying to be where your feet are, trying to keep it simple, trying to take it one play at a time and not thinking about the outcome of the game or the season or what's going to happen the next day. It doesn't matter because at the end of the day, we're out there playing because we love the game. It's an opportunity, is how I look at it. I'm going to control what I can control and let the chips fall." Said Pederson, "I know he would probably want that in his future, to take over a team again and be the guy. That's what he was drafted to do. He has done some good things, and I think if teams are evaluating the quarterback position, he's definitely one that you would have to consider."
• Pederson on Wednesday lauded the recent improvement of rookie defensive tackle Maason Smith, who has started the last four games. A second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Smith has registered sacks in each of the last two games after being inactive six games this season – with multiple games missed with an ankle injury. "He has gotten a lot of playing time," Pederson said. "He continues to improve each week, and does some really good things out there. That's what you want. We knew probably as the season started there were going to be some growing pains. He has fought through injury this season too. He has had to deal with that. For a young player, he really has come a long way. He's on track to be a good player for us. He has that capability. He has great size and length and could be that dominant three technique that that you're looking for. There's still obviously room to grow and improve, but the potential's there for sure."