A year ago, Eric Decker departed the Broncos in free agency, signing a lucrative five-year deal with the Jets. Now, his old running mate in Denver is eligible for unrestricted free agency, and Decker is trying to sell Demaryius Thomas on the idea of joining him in New York, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post.
“I’ve been pushing for the entire year now,” Decker said of his recruitment efforts. “It’s going to be interesting to see what happens. I think it would be tough for Denver to let him go. So whether they franchise-tag him here in the next month or give him a long-term deal, he’s just one of those premier players in this league. If he happens to make it to free agency, I would love to sign him because playing alongside him for four years and especially the last two years made it a lot of fun and made it a lot easier. He’s just one of the great players in this league.”
As Decker himself observes, there’s a good chance that Thomas doesn’t even reach the open market, since he’s a strong candidate to receive the franchise tag in Denver. While several other key Broncos players are slated to become free agents, none are more talented and more productive than Thomas, particularly with Chris Harris having been locked up to a long-term extension earlier in the season.
There’s some uncertainty in Denver these days, with Peyton Manning still undecided on whether he wants to continue his career, and a new coaching staff in place, but it would be a huge surprise if the club allowed Thomas to reach free agency. If he does, the Jets – armed with plenty of cap space and intending to be “very active” this offseason – could be a suitor, though that would likely mean parting ways with Percy Harvin.
They still needs QB