The Denver Broncos are coming into the offseason with Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas as the top free agents for Peyton Manning and if Thomas ends up leaving in free agency, the team may look at names like Jordan Cameron, Jermaine Gresham and Owen Daniels as targets along with Torrey Smith as Gary Kubiak takes over.
The Broncos are expected to have Manning back and he has informed the team that he wants to play in 2015. The two sides have not made his return official yet, but that should happen in the coming weeks. The Denver Post reports that Manning could be asked to take a pay cut from his $19 million salary, as that could help free up cap space to try and keep the two Thomas's. Manning was injured in December and struggled a bit down the stretch and that resulted in a playoffs loss to the Colts.
According to Pro Football Talk, Thomas the wide receiver is more likely to stay over Julius Thomas, as he is the top target for Manning and one of the best WRs in the league. Thomas could be in line for the franchise tag if a long term agreement isn't reached, although the Broncos expect to get a deal done. Pro Football Talk reports that the Denver Post writes that Julius Thomas and the Broncos currently have no contract talks scheduled.
That could be some writing on the wall, as Thomas was expected to be the player to go if the team had to pick between the wideout and the tight end. Manning and Thomas have linked up 24 times over the past two seasons, but Thomas dealt with injuries this year and many price out of Denver. The team also has Thomas, Orlando Franklin, Rahim Moore and Terrance Knighton hitting free agency this year. Thomas could be in line for some big money, as he has an athletic build at tight end and that could be why the Broncos let him walk.
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.
John Fox was let go and now Gary Kubiak comes in to take over and he has said he is ready for Manning to come back. Some have wondered how the two will mesh, as Kubiak likes to roll out and move his quarterbacks around, but he said there will be no issues. Kubiak likely will tailor things to Manning and it comes after Adam Gase was coordinator for the team on offense, leading the league in scoring over the past two years. Kubiak takes over for Fox after the Broncos won four straight division titles and now he has some big shoes to fill.