According to a report from Troy Renck of The Denver Post, the Denver Broncos are rumored to have offered franchise player and star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas north of $40 million in guaranteed money.
Yowza.
UPDATE on DT story. Speculation from multiple agents is #broncos offer eclipses $40 mill guaranteed. Will that be enough? Deadline tomorrow
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) July 15, 2015
Demaryius' camp has been seeking Calvin Johnson $$ or even more. His guarantee was $48.75 mill.Can compromise be found? Deadline tomorrow
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) July 15, 2015
This is quickly becoming a whirlwind of a situation, as reports (save for a Tuesday report from Adam Schefter) all seem to indicate the Broncos and Thomas are making a final push to get a deal done before the deadline. Why should the two sides be motivated to get a deal done?
For Thomas, it’s simple. He doesn’t want to be franchise tagged again, and playing this year under the tag only ensures he will again be tagged next year, unless the Broncos are also unable to work out a long-term deal for star pass rusher Von Miller.
Playing under the franchise tag is not favorable for players, which is why many who get tagged end up holding out. Which is, apparently also a possibility for Thomas after we’ve previously speculated about that.
As for Demaryius Thomas, I was asked if he’s willing to miss games. Don’t rule it out. He won’t be at camp on time if no deal is reached
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 14, 2015
It makes sense for DT to take the same approach as Dez Bryant, something I’ve been saying for a while now. That being said, Thomas also said he wasn’t going to do anything to hurt the team, and he was still going to play, so holding out of games wouldn’t align with that promise.
One thing is certain — we will see Demaryius Thomas on the field this year. His mother is getting out of prison in November, and since he was drafted it’s been a dream for him that she would have the chance to see him play in person.
There’s a chance he could be a really, really rich man when she gets that opportunity.
For the Broncos, it makes sense to get a long-term deal with Demaryius Thomas for a few reasons. Just a few off the top of my head:
1. Thomas was drafted by the Broncos, played out his contract with no issues, stayed healthy, and produced huge numbers. I don’t care if Peyton was the quarterback or not — he’s developed into a star after major questions about his ability to adjust to the NFL due to the Georgia Tech offense.
2. The salary cap is going to continue to increase in the NFL, meaning the percentage of cap Thomas will eventually wind up taking up will diminish annually.
3. Peyton Manning won’t be around forever. You get rid of Thomas after this year, you have Cody Latimer and Emmanuel Sanders (with one year left on his contract next year) remaining as top targets.
4. The Broncos will have the cap and cash capital to pay for Thomas as well as other stars. They have been letting go of plenty of star players over the last three years in order to make these moves happen. The long-term plan has always been to sign DT to a team-friendly but fair deal for the player.
For Thomas, it makes sense to hold out for Calvin Johnson money. Some horrible team would probably pay him whatever he wants on the open market…at this point in time. Not to mention, he’s out produced and out-performed Calvin in the last couple of years.
But anything can happen in a year.
An offer over $12 million per year worth north of $40 million in guarantees is such a reasonable offer that I can’t understand why Thomas would ever decline. We’ll see what winds up happening, but it seems wise for DT to accept the Broncos’ offer if it’s true what is being reported about those numbers.