Demaryius Thomas Deserves A Contract Extension

Nov 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) reacts before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With the postseason under way, the Denver Broncos are planning for another run at the Lombardi Trophy. Demaryius Thomas has been a major factor for the offense this season.

Since he was drafted by the Broncos in 2010, Demaryius Thomas has developed himself to become a huge weapon in the offense. He provided a taste of what he could do during the playoff win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011, when he caught a Tim Tebow pass and went 80 yards for the touchdown, fending off Ryan Mundy to do so. While it did take him a while to get started, (he only recorded six touchdowns in his first two years) he has become one of the most dynamic wide outs in the league today, especially when Peyton Manning came to town. He has gone three straight seasons where he has gone over 1,400 yards receiving. And he continued that in 2014 as he broke Rod Smith’s record for most receiving yards by a Broncos receiver in a single season.

It is amazing how well he came along during the 2014 season. He was beating himself up for his “sub-par performance” in the first three games. In the games against the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle Seahawks, he only had 141 receiving yards and one touchdown. He felt like he was letting the team down, but the team as well as the fans of Broncos Country were behind him and knew he would improve and he sure did. He had 1,478 yards receiving and ten touchdowns after the bye week.

With everything he has done for the Denver Broncos in his last three years, John Elway should not even be thinking about franchise tagging him. Elway and the Broncos front office need to pay Demaryius Thomas in the offseason. He has definitely deserved it. I understand with the pending free agents, it will be tricky. However, Demaryius Thomas has proven himself time and time again. Even in the darkest cloud of the 2013 season during the Super Bowl, Demaryius Thomas shined as he set a Super Bowl record for most receptions in a game with twelve of them.

In my opinion, the Broncos need to focus their franchise tag on someone else, if they decide to use it. Demaryius Thomas has clearly deserved the contract extension. The Broncos rewarded Chris Harris Jr. with his new contract. There should be no reason why Demaryius Thomas does not deserve the exact same thing.