The Denver Broncos may use the franchise tag on Demaryius Thomas this offseason to ensure the return of the wideout for Peyton Manning and this comes as the team will likely lose Julius Thomas in free agency and that could lead the Broncos to sign someone like Jordan Cameron or Jermaine Gresham on the market if he ends up leaving.
The Broncos are coming off of a disappointing finish to the season and now John Elway is trying to keep the core together for new head coach Gary Kubiak. While it's not yet official, Peyton Manning is expected to return and the team now has to focus on free agency, as Thomas, Thomas, Rahim Moore, Orlando Franklin, Terrance Knighton and Wes Welker are all hitting the market. The Broncos will do all they can to keep Thomas the WR, as he has been one of the best players in the league the past few years.
The tag is expected to be at $12.7 million and ESPN.com reports that if the Broncos can't work out a long term deal, they will use the tag. Last season Thomas had 11 catches for 1619 yards and 11 touchdowns. Thomas the tight end added 24 touchdown catches over the past two seasons and if he leaves the Broncos will need to find a replacement tight end. Manning is coming back, but some have speculated he could be asked to take a pay cut and the Broncos may look for another backup, as he was injured down the stretch last year.
According to ESPN.com, Manning will count for over $20 million on the cap for his $15 million salary and while that isn't a ton of money, it's a significant part of the payroll. Manning is 38 years old and will have a new coach coming in after Gary Kubiak was hired to take over for John Fox. Manning dealt with a leg injury down the stretch and was not as effective in the second half of the season, including in the playoffs loss to the Colts. Manning had another great season with 4727 yards passing with 39 touchdowns, but his numbers suffered down the stretch after he came down with an injury in December.
Teams like the Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks have been mentioned as potential destinations for Thomas. The Broncos also have Virgil Green and Jacob Tamme hitting the market, meaning they may look at TEs in the draft or in free agency. Jordan Cameron and Jermaine Gresham are on the market along with Owen Daniels and all those names could come in at a cheaper value than Thomas. Cameron doesn't want to go back to the Browns, while Gresham is expected to leave the Bengals.
The Denver Post reports that the Raiders may look at Knighton as a free agent option, as he has been one of the best defensive players against the run over the past few years. Ndamukong Suh is likely to stay with the Lions and if that happens, expect the Raiders to go after Knighton in free agency. While Knighton is not the talent that Ndamukong Suh is, he could be a strong option for the defense, which struggled mightily against the run last season. Jack Del Rio previously had Knighton in Denver and that could make for an easy transition.
