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According to multiple reports, the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed in principle to a trade that will send tight end Julius Thomas to the Dolphins in exchange for an undisclosed 2017 late-round draft pick.

The trade will not be official until the start of the new league year on March 9.

As NFL.com notes, Thomas was initially discussed as part of a player-for-player trade between the two franchises, with veteran tackle Branden Albert heading to Jacksonville.

The sides are still finalizing the Albert deal. When all is said and done, the two separate trades will result in Thomas and a late-round draft pick going to Miami in exchange for Albert and another late-round pick.

This could be just the change of scenery Thomas needs to get his career back on track. After a pair of Pro Bowl seasons in Denver, he was a colossal disappointment under a monstrous five-year, $46 million deal in Jacksonville.

Thomas struggled to develop chemistry with Blake Bortles after missing the beginning of the 2015 season with finger surgery and returning at less than peak football shape in October. Hampered by ankle and elbow injuries prior to his season-ending fractured tailbone last year, Thomas finished his second Jacksonville campaign with just 281 yards and four touchdowns on 30 receptions.

According to Miami Herald staffer Armando Salguero, the reason Thomas is going to the Dolphins and not elsewhere is because he wanted to reunite with head coach Adam Gase and the offensive system under which Thomas had back-to-back 12-touchdown season in Denver.

Gase was the offensive coordinator with the Broncos when Thomas was there and runs the same system in Miami that Thomas (and the rest of the Broncos) prospered under in Denver.

Thomas will walk into the Dolphins locker room when the trade is done and be the most experienced player in the Miami offense despite it being his first season with the Dolphins. He also steps into a position of need for the Dolphins.

The unit needs an overhaul because it lacks a receiving threat.

Jordan Cameron, who missed most of last season with a concussion, who was supposed to fill that role, won't return. He's been a disappointment. Dion Sims is a better blocker than receiver, but he'll likely return this season. He's reliable but has never demonstrated the upside that Thomas has.

Worth noting, one of the hurdles that was overcome Monday to get Thomas to Miami was a restructuring of his contract.

Thomas originally was signed through 2019, with cap hits of $8.3 million this coming season, $9.8 million in 2018 and $10.3 million in 2019. According to Salguero, those numbers have been cut significantly. But Thomas will get a chance to earn back much of his money through incentives if he plays at the level he did in Denver -- something he has confidence he can do because of his past performance.

As Salguero summed up: "Thomas is basically betting on himself. And he’s showing the Dolphins he wants to play in Miami rather than anywhere else."