Demaryius Thomas had some memorable performances while wearing a Denver Broncos uniform.
The all-time great wide receiver officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday, ending a career that spanned 10 professional seasons. Thomas was out of the league last season but at 33 years old, may have had enough in the tank to give some team one more year.
Instead, he closed that chapter, stating that he wants to retire as a Bronco. You have to love that.
Though Thomas’ Denver career got off to a slow start and some were starting to question his high draft status, he really found his groove once Peyton Manning came to town. The two made for one of the best combinations the league has seen over the last decade.
Thomas produced five straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons in Denver and from 2012-14, he had at least 90 receptions and 1,400 yards in each season. That helped him become one of the best wide receivers in team history.
Over that time span, Thomas had some great games. Here are the five best games he had in the blue and orange, ranked in order.
5. December 4, 2011- at Minnesota Vikings
This game was kind of the coming-out party for Thomas, who had a really quiet rookie season in 2010 in which he caught just 22 passes. To this point in the 2011 season, he had snagged only seven passes.
In a wild game in Minnesota, Thomas helped Tim Tebow lead the Broncos to a 35-32 victory that they probably never should have won. That was the 2011 season in a nutshell, and Thomas was a big part of it.
He caught only four passes on this day but racked up 144 yards through the air for a ridiculous 36 yards per reception average. He also found the end zone twice.
On this day, Tebow made some unbelievable plays but they would never have happened if DT wasn’t the guy on the receiving end.