The Denver Broncos will have to make a number of decisions this offseason with their impending free-agent players on top of dealing with Peyton Manning's health issues. Tight end Julius Thomas is one of those free agents and he might be exploring the market.
Thomas, in addition to wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, safety Rahim Moore and guard Orlando Franklin, are slated to hit free agency. Denver already has $126.6 million committed to the 2015 season and don't have much to spend once the league releases the adjusted salary cap number, which is expected to be $142 million.
According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, the Broncos are scheduled to meet with [Demaryius] Thomas, Knighton, Franklin and Rahim Moore this week, but have nothing planned with [Julius] Thomas, further indicating the Pro Bowl tight end will hit free agency. Denver tabled contract talks with both Thomas' back in October after offering Julius a multi-year deal (that he declined) in July that would have made him the third-highest paid tight end in the league behind Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints and Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.
The Broncos could use the franchise tag on Julius, but according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, the team plans to use it on Demaryius if they cannot agree to a long-term deal. NFLTradeRumors.com projects the franchise tag numbers for wide receivers will be $12.8 million while those for tight ends will be $8.33 million. Julius' second serious ankle injury may have the Broncos second-guessing whether or not they should invest a lot of money in him. On the other hand, Demaryius has played in every game since 2012 and is one of the top receivers in the league over that span.
In Julius' final eight games with Denver, the 26-year-old made only made 11 catches for 119 yards.
Julius wants to test the open market and see what other teams would be willing to pay for him, so it's likely he's no longer a Bronco unless the team makes a last minute push to negotiate with him. He's expected to have a number of suitors, but if no outside offer satisfies him then it's possible he returns to Denver.
Perhaps the Broncos settle for other cheaper options on the market, such as Jordan Cameron, Jermaine Gresham, Charles Clay or Owen Daniels.
