The Denver Broncos may have to worry about competition at the conclusion of the season. In a free agency sense, that is. The team has tabled contract talks with tight end Julius Thomas and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on Wednesday.
The Broncos will watch their top two receivers play out their contracts and then have to worry about retaining them once the 2014 season comes to a close. John Elway has built this team after bringing in Peyton Manning, Wes Welker, Emmanuel Sanders, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, DeMarcus Ware and others, but will now perhaps face his biggest challenge in keeping Manning's favorite targets.
Denver has only one franchise tag to use, so there's a possibility one of these players walks in free agency and goes to a team that offers up big money. It's already a forgone conclusion that many NFL teams are going to throw large contracts at these two when the signing period begins in March. The Thomas' will join other stars including Cowboys WR Dez Bryant, Lions DT Ndamukong Suh, Patriots CB Darrelle Revis and Saints TE Jimmy Graham as the top targets in 2015.
Elway and the front office are going to have to come up with a better plan because they've already negotiated with their two stars, but reportedly did not come close to a deal with either of them. Additionally, the need for Demaryius is ever greater because receiver Wes Welker will be a free agent at the end of the year and they cannot afford to lose two big pieces of their receiving corps that contribute to the team's 31.5 points per game average.
For an idea in regards to how much money the two might wield in 2015, let's take a look at their stats with the Broncos.
Demaryius Thomas
The 26-year-old was drafted by Denver in the first round in 2010 out of Georgia Tech. Since then, Thomas has been one of the best in the NFL, amassing 279 receptions for 4,360 yards and 36 touchdowns in 59 games with Denver. Obviously Peyton Manning is a big reason for those numbers, but there's no doubting Thomas' raw athletic ability that has helped him succeed.
Julius Thomas
Also a 26-year-old, Julius Thomas was drafted by Denver in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft, but didn't break out onto the scene until last season. After signing a four-year, $2.4 million contract, the tight end only had one catch in his first two seasons with the team because of injury woes. But in 2013 and 2014, Thomas has been viewed as one of the top two tight ends in the league alongside Jimmy Graham. Thomas has 93 receptions for 1,092 yards and 21 touchdowns in 20 games over the past two seasons.
It'll be interesting to see what teams pop up as potential destinations for these two if the Broncos let one of them walk.
