I really don't get the attachment some people have for JT. To me he's symptomatic of everything wrong with Petrie's rosters. He's proven over and over again that he's not reliable as a starter which makes him an expensive luxury for a last-place team. If you can swap him out for young talent, you're really not losing all that much -- some size and guaranteed production maybe, but in exchange you get cap space and potential; a fresh look and help at a position where we have less depth.
What's more, we cannot afford to pay both JT and Landry the full mid-level for the next four years. Not while we're losing games in bunches and can't afford the transcendent talent we need to turn it around. We should be doing everything possible to get out from under one of those contracts. Considering the new regime brought in Landry, I think the writing is already on the wall for Thompson's future in Sacramento. An unproven player with one year left on his rookie deal is basically all you can expect to get back for JT anyway, and at least then you're giving yourself a chance at coming out ahead on the talent end, or at the very least opening up cap space for a key free agent.