Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas landed a solid free agent contract with the New England Patriots.
Demaryius Thomas was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010 and helped the team that drafted him win two AFC Championships against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
The Broncos almost traded Thomas to New England last year but ultimately agreed to trade him to the Houston Texans for a fourth-round draft pick in 2019.
Thomas played seven games with the Texans, who hoped he would become a key piece for a potential Super Bowl run. That didn’t happen as Thomas tore his Achilles in December and the Texans were without him for their playoff run.
Fortunately, that didn’t prevent the 2010 first-round pick from signing a free agent contract. Unfortunately (for Broncos fans) we will have to see Thomas donning the Patriots red and blue after all.
Source: the Patriots are signing longtime Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 16, 2019
I thought reading this headline would hurt quite a bit more than it does, in all honesty.
Thomas was drafted in 2010 by the Broncos, who were being run at the time by Josh McDaniels. McDaniels is obviously now the offensive coordinator in New England, and this is the third prominent member of the 2010 draft class in Denver he’s given a shot with the Pats.
Tim Tebow had a short stint in New England and Eric Decker competed for a roster spot there last year.
Thomas actually got a decent contract from the Patriots, one that could be worth up to $6 million.
Not bad for a guy coming off an Achilles tear.
The Broncos don’t play the Patriots in 2019, so this is mostly harmless. This will also allow Thomas to play with arguably the two best quarterbacks in league history in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady while also working for John Elway.
Not a bad way to spend your NFL career.
Thomas was not happy about being traded away from the Broncos and left a trail of salt on his way out. Had Case Keenum hit him on a deep ball late against the Kansas City Chiefs early in the season or had the Broncos won enough games, perhaps they would have held onto a guy who will ultimately be a Ring of Famer someday instead of trading him.
As it stands, the Broncos got incredible value in return for Thomas with a fourth-round pick, which they still have. They traded their own fourth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for quarterback Joe Flacco.