Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas may have two Pro-Bowls to his name but, on the eve of his first foray into free agency, Thomas and his agent seem to be getting the feeling the Broncos don't think all that highly of him.
"The Broncos came to me, we tried to get it done, it didn't work," Frank Bauer, Thomas' agent, told Mike Klis of The Denver Post. "Does Julius love Denver? Yes. Does Julius love the fans there? No question. Does he love the organization and the community? Look at what he does for kids in that town.
"But for some reason people are trying to tear him down. In my opinion what they're doing by tearing him down is pushing him away."
The Broncos and GM John Elway, based on their previous extension offers to Thomas - five-years, $40 million was the most recent according to Klis - believe him to be among the top tier of tight ends in the NFL, but not necessarily elite - both Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski make more annually.
Denver, per Klis, also wanted Thomas to keep his 2014 salary - $645,000 - as is, which would turn the deal from five-years, $40 million into a six-year, $40.645 million pact.
That, plus the incentivized nature of the contract, is what has Thomas and Bauer so up in arms.
"The main thing was the structure," Bauer said. "In any contract in the National Football League, it all has to do with how the guarantees are written. Are there full skill/injury/cap guarantees? Or are they conditional? There are clubs that do it the old way. And they're getting their players done and keeping their own.
"In this case, the guarantees were too low. The guarantees were conditional."
Thomas has proven himself to be an athletic marvel at the tight end position, posting productivity matched or surpassed only by the likes of Graham and Gronkowski, but he's also dealt with consistent injury issues, specifically ankle problems, so it's not hard to see how the Broncos could balk at guaranteeing money to a player who has struggled to remain on the field.
Add in the fact that Thomas only blossomed once the notoriously receiver-friendly Peyton Manning arrived, and the fact that the talented and seemingly ascending Virgil Green is waiting in the wings, and it could wind up that Thomas and Bauer will be looking for that major pay day elsewhere come March 10.
"Julius loves playing in Denver," said Bauer. "He has always talked positively about Denver and what great fans they have. The ball is in Denver's court."
