With the Denver Broncos in a tight spot in their cap space, could they look towards Demaryius Thomas’ contract in order to free up some space in their check books?
The Denver Broncos are currently in a bind for cap space. With all of the moves they want to make, there is not a lot of money in the John Elway Bank in order to get the deals they want done.
Perhaps the biggest reason behind the limited cap space is the big contracts between a few of the key players. Maybe restructuring a contract could free up some space.
That is exactly what Field Yates of ESPN suggests. And he has one name in mind. Demaryius Thomas. Yates says that the Denver Broncos could free up a little over nine million dollars in 2016 if they restructure his huge contract for that year.
The cap-needy Broncos can create $9M+ in space automatically. Here’s how. https://t.co/bS049VlP86
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 6, 2016
For those who remember when the deal was made for Demaryius Thomas, the Broncos included an automatic conversation clause that entitles the team to convert any portion of the $13 million base salary into a signing bonus.
The price could be up in the air. They could go as low as giving Demaryius Thomas the minimum of $760,000 dollars for the 2016 season. Either way, he will not lose the money, but would not make $14 million this season.
This becomes very interesting. But my thought process is will John Elway think to do that. Another idea could be to release or trade Ryan Clady, which makes the most logical sense. It makes me wonder why they have not done so yet. But that is a story for a different day.
In order for the team to consider restructuring the Demaryius Thomas contract, we have to review his season. For the 2015 season, he recorded 105 receptions for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns. His numbers remained the same in nearly every category except for touchdowns.
Then again, the Denver Broncos passing touchdowns were not exactly in the Top Ten either. But adjusting his contract could be based on his playoff performance. He only recorded 7 receptions for 70 yards. And no touchdowns with one two point conversion catch.
Next: Broncos to Host Long Snapper Tryouts
That is pretty alarming for a guy who is paid that much money. In my opinion, the playoffs is the chance for a player to shine. And Demaryius Thomas pretty much disappeared.
So, the idea is not crazy, but it depends on how much money Elway would be looking to restructure in the contract. However you spin it, that would be an interesting hot take. Should Thomas take a restructure? Let me know in the comments below.