The Denver Broncos may lose Julius Thomas to free agency, as the tight end is one of the top free agents on the market and teams like the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars could be options to sign the TE, as he has been one of the most consistent targets for Peyton Manning.
Thomas is an athletic tight end with a huge body and over the past two years he has had 24 touchdown receptions from Peyton Manning. The Broncos would like to keep Thomas, but that may not be possible with all the other free agents they have coming to the market. The team is expected to sign back Demaryius Thomas and that contract could keep the Broncos from also signing Julius Thomas to a new deal. The Broncos have a solid amount of cap space, but they have a ton of free agents and that means Thomas could slip through.
Thomas the tight end dealt with some injury issues this season, but Adam Schefter at ESPN.com reports that he still should be one of the most coveted free agents on the market. Thomas comes in after playing in 13 games this season and making 43 catches for 489 yards and 12 touchdowns. Thomas was tied for the league lead at his position with Antonio Gates and Rob Gronkowski and he has been one of the best tight ends in the league in the redzone over the past two years.
Thomas broke out last season, making 65 catches for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Broncos in 2013. Manning loves Thomas, but he understands that tough decisions need to be made. Demaryius Thomas is the priority, as he is one of the top WRs in the NFL and is coming into the offseason after having a monster year. Thomas had 111 catches for 1619 yards and 11 touchdowns and he is going to cost quite a bit on his new contract. Thomas should be the top tight end on the market and he could cash in on this deal.
The tight end market is an interesting one this season and with the way the position has increased in value over the past few years, expect Thomas to get some serious attention. Jermaine Gresham, Thomas and Jordan Cameron are some of the top names on the market and Thomas is likely to get the biggest deal of the bunch. The Broncos don't want to lose his impact in the redzone, as he is one of the favorite targets of Peyton Manning, but that may end up being the cost of doing business.
The Raiders are considered an option for all the top free agents, as they have money to spend and that could put them in the mix for Thomas. The team saw him twice per season over the past two years and they know he can be dynamic. The team needs more playmakers and that could be one area they look at, as Thomas could help with Mychal Rivera's development. Rivera had 58 catches for 534 yards and four TDs last season and adding Thomas could be huge for Derek Carr in year two.