Demaryius Thomas

Extra Points: Houston, Thomas, Vikings, Jaguars

July 18th, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Rob DiRe

Justin Houston signed the richest contract in the history of the Chiefs organization, and his teammates are just as excited for the star pass rusher than he is for himself, writes Chris Bumbaca of the Kansas City Star. Receiver Junior Hemingway and safety Sanders Commings both had great things to say about their teammate’s new deal.

“To have Justin back, man, it’s a good move for us. We can keep pushing, keep doing what we’re doing as a team, keep building, keep grinding, and get going — and try and get this ring,” said Hemingway. “In my eyes, he’s the best. His work ethic, just the person who he is, just being around him, you can feed off of that.”

“That guy deserves every penny. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team — most vocal leader, also leads by example,” said Commings. “He makes it easy on the rest of the defense. He can make a play before it even gets started, getting to their quarterback so fast.”

Another AFC West star with a new deal added more headlines at a Broncos press conference, where Demaryius Thomas boldly claimed he will be chasing 2,000 receiving yards, write Troy Renck of the Denver Post. He will take over for Andre Johnson and Steve Smith as the number one option in the Gary Kubiak offense.
Kyle Rudolph should return to his place at the top of the Vikings depth chart after missing significant time with injury last season, but the roster behind him is up in the air. Rhett Ellison, Chase Ford, fifth-round pick MyCole Pruitt, and the onside kick pariah Brandon Bostick will all battle for spots on the roster. Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune posits that Pruitt is a lock to make the team, meaning last year’s blocking specialist Ellison and receiving specialist Ford will have to fight each other out for what is likely the third and final spot on the roster. Tesfatsion notes that Bostwick would need a strong showing to be in position for that last spot in the team.
The Jaguars haven’t been good in what seems like forever, but general manager Dave Caldwell is rebuilding the team from the trenches out. Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com points out that the team has devoted 20.6% of the salary cap to the offensive line, and 27.7% to the defensive line. (There is also an excellent story about wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan and his relationship to legendary defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger, who passed away on Friday).

John Elway Discusses Thomas, Dez, Miller

July 18th, 2015 at 9:39am CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy couple of days for John Elway and the Broncos. The team managed to ignore a number of collusion allegations, and they ultimately re-signed star wideout Demaryius Thomas to a five-year extension.

With the hectic negotiations behind them, Denver’s General Manager and Executive Vice President of Football Operations sat down with DenverBroncos.com to discuss the entire ordeal. We’ve compiled some of the more interesting quotes, which you can find below…

On the timing of negotiations:

“It really started this morning (July 15th). I think that we had met with [Thomas’ agent] Todd France back in end of May—first of June—and both got our offers on the table. At that point in time, there wasn’t any movement until this morning. Once again, things got going this morning. That’s really when we had get a deal done.”

On how the contract will effect the team’s future cap space:

“We prepare for all of those [scenarios]. We look at what the value is to the Broncos, what we can afford, how that fits into the structure and how that fits into our football team. All of those things are going into consideration when we determine what we’re going to pay somebody. We’re well aware of the people that we have coming up. We have a lot of good football players coming up. But with Demaryius—he’s obviously a big part of that and he’s the first part of trying to keep this football team together. I think it was a very fair deal for both sides.”

On whether they referred to the Dez Bryant extension during negotiations:

“We had our numbers set up and picked out. We tried to figure out what we believed was the correct value for us and for the Broncos as well as Demaryius. I think it just took a while to get to that point. Any time you have two special football players at the same position that are going into a franchise year, there is always caution that no one jumps the gun. I think it went as long as it went to be able to make sure that everybody—especially from the agent side—that they were where they needed to be.”

On how the Thomas extension will impact talks with Von Miller:

“We are always planning for the future. Everyone talks about us winning now, and my point is that we want to win from now on. When we go through our budget meetings year in and year out, that is what we look at. We have a three-year plan and a four-year plan, and we try to look into the future to see where we are in order to budget everybody to keep all of our great football players. That is what we want to do—draft well, keep our own and fill in with free agency where we can. D.T. was the first step. We will have a plan for Von next year as well as with other players. We have several other really good football players coming into their last year. We’ll monitor as many as we can. It’s impossible to hold on to everybody in the salary cap era, but we’re going to do the very best we can to keep them all.”

West Notes: Thomas, Green, Wilson

July 17th, 2015 at 7:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Demaryius Thomas was holding out for a contract that would exceed the value of Calvin Johnson‘s historic deal, the Broncos‘ newly extended wideout now acknowledges it was a negotiating tactic and that no receiver will hit that threshold. At least not for a while.

But the sixth-year target did want to make sure he inked a deal that assured him of greater financial earnings than contemporaries Mike Wallace and Percy Harvin, according to Mike Klis of 9News.

“It wasn’t about asking for more than Calvin because I knew I wasn’t going to get that,” Thomas told media Friday. “It was trying to make a new slot for guys because the second receiver was Mike Wallace and Percy Harvin. I think I’ve outplayed them, so I tried to set a new mark. But nobody is going to get Calvin money.”

The former first-round pick out of Georgia Tech also told Klis turning down the Broncos’ seven-year, $100MM offer was difficult, but with the uncertainty that could arise in the final two non-guaranteed years of that proposed deal, Thomas figured it was best to accept a five-year contract that could still enable him to sign a lucrative third accord by the time his second expires after his age-31 season.

Here is some more news from the Thomas fallout and from the Broncos’ Western brethren.

Training in Atlanta while slapped with the franchise tag, Thomas intends to play this season with a slimmer frame, dropping down to 222 pounds from his usual 228, per Klis.
Regardless of what weight Thomas plays at this season, A.J. Green was sure to thank his Pro Bowl wideout compatriot via text message shortly after word leaked of Thomas’ deal, according to Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. The Bengals‘ contract-year receiver said he will play this season under his fifth-year option of $10.76MM and wait until the offseason for a potential new deal. But with two receivers on his tier attached to values, Green now has a benchmark at which to aim. Although the Bengals’ four-time Pro Bowler doesn’t quite have Thomas or Bryant’s stats, the soon-to-be 27-year-old is just as valuable to his team’s offense, and those numbers come with an inferior quarterback than the ones throwing to Thomas and Bryant.
Mark Rodgers and top client Russell Wilson speak each day, with those conversations often including discussions about the fourth-year Seahawks quarterback’s contract negotiation, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports. In a profile of the baseball-first agent’s relationship with Wilson, Condotta notes Wilson sought Rodgers due to his experience with two-sport athletes.

AFC West Notes: Thomas, Broncos, Houston

July 17th, 2015 at 5:04pm CST by Luke Adams

While the NFL Player’s Association appeared ready to drop its collusion investigation into the Cowboys and Broncos after Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signed new contracts on Wednesday, the union is still considering filing a complaint, a source tells Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports. Both the Cowboys and Broncos have been informed that the NFLPA has not yet lifted its request that front office officials preserve writen and digital correspondence that could be used as evidence of collusion, writes Jones.

Even if the Cowboys and Broncos did discuss Bryant’s and Thomas’ contract situations, it seems unlikely that there’s a smoking gun, and now that both wideouts have long-term deals – perhaps with the help of legal collusion by their agents – it seems unnecessary for the NFLPA to pursue another drawn-out legal battle with the league. As such, I’d guess that the union will eventually drop its investigation, but it sounds like we’ll have to wait until at least next week to know for sure.

As we await word from the NFLPA, let’s check out some more updates from out of the AFC West, with a focus on Thomas’ and Justin Houston‘s extensions….

A report earlier this week suggested that Thomas was prepared to skip training camp and the preseason if he didn’t get a new contract this week, but earlier today the wideout admitted, “I wasn’t going to sit out games” (Twitter link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). Thomas also suggested that he “kind of knew the whole morning” on Wednesday that he and the Broncos would get something done (Twitter link via Legwold).
During the negotiations with Thomas, GM John Elway was mindful of how other extension-eligible players – particularly Von Miller – will fit into the team’s budget down the road, writes Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.
At OverTheCap.com, Zack Moore dives deep into Houston’s new six-year contract with the Chiefs to determine its value, while Jason Fitzgerald lays out the year-by-year figures for the deal in chart form.
In explaining why he felt like it was “very important” to remain in Kansas City long-term, Houston credited Andy Reid, explaining that the Chiefs head coach pushed him to become a better player. Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star has the details and quotes from the star pass rusher.

Details, Reactions On Bryant/Thomas Deals

July 16th, 2015 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

Reports earlier this week suggested neither Dez Bryant nor Demaryius Thomas had better than a 50/50 chance of signing an extension this week, so it came as a bit of a surprise yesterday when both players got deals done with their respective teams. We examined a few specific details of those contracts earlier today, and now we’ll round up a few more notes and reactions related to the pair of extensions. Let’s dive in….

Bryant negotiations:

Although Bryant admitted that going through his contract situation this summer was “extremely hard,” he reiterated on Wednesday that he was willing to sit out regular season games if he didn’t get a new deal (link via Dallas Morning News). “I am that guy that, I have to stand by my word, because that’s how I want to raise my babies,” Bryant said. “It was all me. It was honest.”
Appearing on 105.3 FM in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones answered a few specific questions about the negotiations with Bryant, noting that the “false financial perspective” set by Calvin Johnson‘s and Larry Fitzgerald‘s contracts was problematic during contract discussions. The Dallas Morning News has that quote and several more from Jones.
During his own radio appearance in Dallas, executive VP Stephen Jones also discussed the deal in some depth, admitting the Bryant negotiations were among the most difficult the Cowboys have ever had. Once again, the Dallas Morning News has the details.

Thomas negotiations:

Broncos general manager John Elway told reporters, including Troy Renck of The Denver Post (Twitter link), that there wasn’t any movement from June 1st until Wednesday morning on Thomas’ deal. At that point, talks between the two sides reignited and led to a five-year, $70MM deal being reached.
Elway also explained that keeping Thomas and locking him up long term was the first step in keeping this Broncos team together, tweets James Palmer of NFL Network.
According to Mike Klis of 9News, the Broncos had a seven-year, $100MM offer on the table for Thomas, but the Pro Bowl wideout opted for the five-year, $70MM pact instead. While the seven-year deal looks more impressive on paper, and would’ve increased the average annual value of the extension, those final two years essentially would’ve been risk-free options for Denver, so it’s not a surprise that Thomas chose the shorter deal.

Potential impact of Thomas/Bryant deals on other players:

Now that Thomas and Bryant have gotten something done, there’s a “general sense” around the Falcons that Atlanta could lock up Julio Jones by the start of training camp, despite a lack of progress so far, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The Falcons’ camp is scheduled to get underway two weeks from Friday.
After seeing the deals signed by Bryant and Thomas, Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton might be hearing cash registers in his head. The 25-year-old Hilton, who has back-to-back seasons of 80-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards, is entering the final year of his deal, and issued the following tweet on Wednesday: “All this BREAKING NEWS. Does this mean the bar is set?? #THEGHOST”
Hilton will have a hard time demanding a contract in the same range as the five-year, $70MM extensions signed by Bryant and Thomas, but those deals help to reset the market for receivers, and should benefit the Colts wideout in other ways, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.

Other Thomas/Bryant leftovers:

While collusion between teams during contract negotiations isn’t permitted, players and agents are allowed to talk, and it was legal collusion between agents Tom Condon and Todd France that helped both Bryant’s and Thomas’ extensions get done, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Condon’s agency, CAA, is on the verge of buying France’s agency, Five Star Athlete Management, and the two agents took advantage of their new relationship.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines how the Bryant and Thomas contracts compare to one another, as well as how the deals match up to those signed by a few top players at other positions.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Bryant, Thomas, Houston

July 16th, 2015 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the four contract extensions signed yesterday by players who received the franchise tag, year-to-year details on structure, salary, and bonuses has begun to surface on three of those deals. While we still don’t have a lot of specific info on Stephen Gostkowski‘s new four-year contract with the Patriots, there are plenty of updates out there on the three big agreements of the day. Let’s round up the latest:

Dez Bryant (WR), Cowboys:

Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com and Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter links) provide the yearly breakdown of Bryant’s base salaries and cap hits. Bryant’s modest $3MM base salary in 2015 will result in just a $7MM cap number. His cap charges increase to $13MM, $17MM, $16.5MM, and $16.5MM in the final four years of the pact.
Bryant gets $32MM fully guaranteed at the time of his signing, and his contract doesn’t feature offsets, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links).
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap lays out what Bryant’s full extension looks like in chart form.

Demaryius Thomas (WR), Broncos:

Thomas’ contract includes an $11MM signing bonus, a $6.5MM roster bonus, and a fully guaranteed $4.5MM base salary for 2015, per Mike Klis of 9News. Thomas’ 2016 salary of $13MM is also fully guaranteed, while his 2017 salary ($8.5MM) is guaranteed for injury only at the moment — it becomes fully guaranteed early in the 2017 league year. The 27-year-old has a $4MM option bonus in 2018.
Thomas’ extension doesn’t feature offsets, tweets Corry.
Here’s what Thomas’ deal looks like in chart form, via Over the Cap.

Justin Houston (OLB), Chiefs:

Houston’s new contract counts for just $5.1MM against the Chiefs’ cap in 2015 before jumping to $19.1MM in 2016. In a tweet, Corry breaks down the cap charges for all six years.
According to Corry (via Twitter), Houston gets $12MM of his $20.5MM signing bonus within 20 days of signing the contract. The remaining $8.5MM is deferred until April 1, 2016.

NFLPA Likely To Drop Collusion Claims Against Cowboys, Broncos

July 15th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA is not expected to pursue collusion claims now that Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas got their deals done, a union source told Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (on Twitter). Both players agreed to lucrative deals earlier today that, interestingly, were roughly equal.

Evidence of possible collusion between the Cowboys and Broncos reportedly stemmed from a conversation that took place between Bryant and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones. Jones explained to Bryant that the Calvin Johnson contract, which is the most lucrative deal for a wide receiver in the NFL, had no relevance to other receivers because of the unique circumstances surrounding those negotiations. Then, according to Bryant’s account (per the source), Jones told the receiver that he talked to Broncos GM John Elway about the situation. Because the Broncos also had franchise-tagged receiver in Thomas, the admission that Jones and Elway communicated about the situation constitutes evidence of collusion.

The NFLPA letter containing the collusion claims against the Broncos and Cowboys went out to clubs on Tuesday, but it sounds like all is forgiven now that the two star receivers have gotten hefty paydays.

Broncos Extend Demaryius Thomas

July 15th, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

3:01pm: With the deadline for franchised players to sign multiyear deals having passed, Albert Breer of the NFL Network confirms (via Twitter) that Thomas’ contract has been finalized and filed

2:51pm: According to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link), $35MM of Thomas’ $43.5MM overall guarantee is fully guaranteed at the time of signing.

2:38pm: Shortly after the Cowboys and Dez Bryant agreed to a five-year, $70MM contract, the Broncos and Demaryius Thomas have done the same, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Thomas’ five-year, $70MM pact will feature $43.5MM in guarantees, just slightly less than Bryant’s $45MM.

Heading into the day, a multiyear extension hadn’t been considered likely for Thomas, who was reportedly seeking a contract in the neighborhood of Calvin Johnson‘s mega-deal with the Lions — the Broncos appeared unwilling to budge from a figure much lower than that, in the ballpark of $13MM annually. However, this afternoon’s deadline – along with Bryant’s deal – got the two sides back to the negotiating table, and they got something done with less than a half-hour to go.

This morning, we learned that Thomas was planning to skip the Broncos’ training camp and preseason if he didn’t get a long-term extension today, and it’s possible that threat helped move the team to action. After all, with a new head coach and offensive coordinator in place, it would have set the Broncos back somewhat to be without their No. 1 wideout until September. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the club upped its offer today.

It’s also possible that the threat of a collusion complaint from the NFL Player’s Association played a part, though neither the Broncos nor the Cowboys appeared to take that investigation too seriously. Now that Bryant and Thomas have been locked up, the NFLPA will likely stand down, but amidst the union’s claims of collusion, it’s interesting to note that the two wideouts appear to have landed virtually identical contracts.

Like Bryant, Thomas has been one of the league’s top receivers over the last several seasons, piling up 297 receptions and three consecutive Pro Bowl nods since becoming a full-time starter for the Broncos in 2012. During that stretch, Thomas averaged 99 catches, 1,494 yards, and 12 touchdowns per season, establishing new career highs with 111 receptions and 1619 yards in 2014. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has ranked the 27-year-old as a top-five wideout in each of the last three seasons.

Despite his gaudy numbers, Thomas wasn’t a lock to be extended by the Broncos, given the team’s uncertain quarterback situation beyond this season. Although Thomas’ success can’t be attributed entirely to Peyton Manning, there’s a chance his production will eventually drop off without the future Hall-of-Famer, who may not extend his career beyond 2015.

Still, having let standout pass-catchers like Eric Decker and Julius Thomas walk in free agency over the last two years, the Broncos appeared to be prioritizing Demaryius Thomas. By locking him up now, the team avoids having to make a tough decision next year, when both Thomas and Von Miller would be eligible for potential unrestricted free agency. With Thomas under contract, Denver now has the 2016 franchise tag available to use on Miller.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Demaryius Thomas Updates: Wednesday

July 15th, 2015 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

With less than five hours for Demaryius Thomas and the Broncos to finalize a long-term extension, the odds of the two sides reaching an agreement don’t look great. We’ll round up Wednesday’s updates on Thomas in this space, with any additional news and rumors added to the top of the page throughout the day. Here’s the latest:

If the Broncos and Thomas are able to make a last-minute deal, expect it to be bigger than the five-year, $70MM deal Dez Bryant got from the Cowboys, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Thomas and the Broncos are talking, though they don’t have much time left.

Earlier updates:

According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links), the Broncos have adjusted their offer to Thomas four times, but the last adjustment came over a month ago. That proposal, which is still on the table, was strong on guarantees but fell short of the per-year salary Thomas is seeking.
A source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that the Broncos had been under the impression that Thomas would take the best deal on the table today. Now, the team isn’t so sure about that.
As of 9:00am MDT, there had been no communication today between the Broncos and Thomas’ agent, Todd France, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. As Klis adds in a second tweet, if the two sides were intent on making a deal, they’d probably have to start hammering out specific details and language by now.
Earlier today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report indicated that the Broncos are unlikely to budge from their current offer, which is in the neighborhood of $13MM per year.
We also heard that the standout receiver is expected to skip training camp and the preseason if he doesn’t land a new deal today. Because he has yet to sign his franchise tender, Thomas wouldn’t be subject to fines for his absence. Within that same story, we passed along word from Troy Renck of the Denver Post that multiple agents believe Denver has offered Thomas more than $40MM guaranteed, though it’s not clear if that amount is fully guaranteed.

Cole’s Latest: Dez, Thomas, Houston, Collins

July 15th, 2015 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has been busy today, providing several updates on franchised players who are seeking new contracts, as well as publishing a Q&A with rookie Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins. Let’s dive right in and check out the highlights from Cole so far today….

Cole gets the sense that, while Dez Bryant badly wants to get an extension done with the Cowboys, neither the team nor agent Tom Condon is eager to do a deal — presumably because the two sides don’t want to budge significantly from their current proposals (Twitter link).
Echoing something that Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said earlier this week, Cole suggests that the Cowboys want to be able to escape a long-term contract for Bryant if the receiver gets into any off-field trouble (video link). As Florio writes in a new PFT piece, the Cowboys have included those sort of clauses in other recent deals, including cornerback Byron Jones‘ rookie contract. Jones’ deal features language that would void his guarantees if he’s arrested or even detained by police, or if he’s fined under the league’s substance abuse or personal conduct policies.
Don’t expect the Broncos to budge much from their current offer to Demaryius Thomas, which is for about $13MM per year, says Cole (video link). While the star wideout is seeking Calvin Johnson money, Denver almost certainly won’t go that high.
The Chiefs and Justin Houston are “still talking” about a multiyear extension, but Cole has no sense of where the two sides will land by the end of the day (Twitter link). Reports this week have suggested that Houston has the best chance of the four unsigned franchised players to come to terms on a long-term deal.
Cole’s Q&A with Collins features plenty of details on the lineman’s draft experience — or lack thereof. The Cowboys rookie tells Cole he lost 10 pounds during the week of the draft due to stress and being unable to eat.

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