In his most recent 2015 NFL Draft piece, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report notes a very interesting free agency rumor. “This a draft article,” Miller writes, “but first a very credible rumor that will affect the draft: I’m told the New York Jets plan to roll out the red carpet for Demaryius Thomas if he does not receiver the franchise tag from the Denver Broncos.”
Miller specializes in the draft, but make no mistake, he has credible sources. When he states something like this, it is a fair bet to believe it to be true.
Demaryius Thomas is one of the most dynamic young players that the NFL has to offer. The 27-year-old receiver has 351 receptions for 5,317 yards and 41 touchdowns in his five year NFL career. Thomas has really exploded with Peyton Manning under center the past three seasons, and is coming off of a season where he set career highs in receptions with 111, and receiving yards with 1,619.
While having a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer throwing to him certainly helps, there is no denying that Thomas is one of the best receivers in the league. He uses his incredible combination of size, strength and speed as well as anybody at the position.
The Jets would be looking to reunite Thomas with his former running mate in Denver, Eric Decker, who the Jets signed in free agency last season. Thomas and Decker were the Broncos’ starting receivers in 2013, when the team scored 37.9 points per game, the most in NFL history.
Obviously, Geno Smith and Michael Vick are not anything close to the level of Manning, but recent mock drafts have the Jets making a strong play for Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston (mostly depending on who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take with the first overall pick). Getting Mariota or Winston in the first round, and giving him Thomas and Decker to throw to could make for a dangerous offensive in New York.
The Broncos are clearly going to try and keep Thomas in Denver. They could simply franchise tag him, and then the Jets and other NFL teams would not even have a chance to put their offers in. That being said, the Broncos have a lot of important free agents to take care of this off-season along with Thomas, and using a franchise tag on Julius Thomas or Terrance Knighton is not out of the question.
If that happens, the Jets (or anyone else for that matter) will have their opportunity to spend big on Thomas as they try to bring him to the Big Apple.