Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas is a free agent this offseason and with Demaryius Thomas likely getting big money, he could leave Peyton Manning and the Mile High City and if that happens, teams like the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills could be interested in signing him to a deal.
Thomas comes into the offseason as the top tight end on the market and he has been one of the most consistent targets for Peyton Manning over the past two years. According to the Denver Post, Thomas is expected to get heavy attention on the market and the Broncos have "resigned themselves to losing Thomas," as teams like the Jaguars, Browns, Falcons and Raiders have shown interest. The Jaguars have the most cap space in the NFL and while they are a bad team, they are expected to "seriously" go after Thomas.
The Jaguars are an interesting option, as Thomas is 26 and has some injury issues and this could be his one chance to cash in on his career. The Falcons and Browns have also reportedly shown interest, according to the Denver Post, while the Jaguars have a young QB in Blake Bortles and they want to give him some solid options on offense. The Post also reported that the Broncos and Thomas engaged on contract talks during the summer, but they "didn't work out" and now he could be poised to leave.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote earlier this month that the team may target Thomas, as Levine Toilolo showed he is not ready to start. The Post reported that Thomas turned down a deal for $8 million per season from the Broncos and that could be a sign of what he is looking for. The Browns, Raiders and Jaguars have the most cap space in the league coming into the offseason and they could look at making a splash with Thomas.
The tight end position has become very valuable in the NFL and Thomas is built like some other dominant players at the position, including Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski. While Thomas may not be at the level of those players, he is right there on the list of best TEs in the league and if he is allowed to walk, there will be a number of teams chasing him. Thomas has had 24 touchdown catches over the last two seasons and he set career highs in 2013 by playing in 16 games, making 65 catches for 788 yards and 12 Tds. This past season he missed three games and finished with 43 catches for 489 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Virgil Green could end up being the tight end that the Broncos re-sign and they could also look for depth on the free agent market. Jordan Cameron, Owen Daniels and Jermaine Gresham are all available and they could be potential pickups for the Broncos if Thomas leaves. Jacob Tamme, Thomas and Green are all free agents for the Broncos this offseason. Cameron has said that he is not planning to sign back with the Browns and he could be a cheap option after dealing with injuries this past season.