NFL Rumors: Julius Thomas drawing interest from Jaguars, Falcons
Unrestricted free agent to be Julius Thomas is finding out that there is indeed a market for his services heading into 2015.
If, and probably when, Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 10th, you can expect the market to open up for him. Over the past two NFL seasons, Thomas has established himself as one of the premier players at his position, and has been instrumental in Denver’s offensive hike. The 6′ 5″ 250-lb former basketball star out of Portland State is without question the greatest talent quarterback Peyton Manning has ever had to work with at TE. So when teams such as the Jacksonville Jaquars and Atlanta Falcons are already showing interest, it should come as little to no surprise at all.
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Thomas, 26, became the first tight end in league history to register two consecutive 12 touchdown seasons. And though his yardage (489) and reception (43) totals were down from last year, he still looms as one of the more dangerous red zone targets in football. It is actually kind of scary to imagine what Thomas could have accomplished had injuries not cut down on his production following his first nine games in 2014.
Nevertheless, injuries are indeed a part of the game. And for Thomas, they might be the reason why Denver refused to go higher than five years and $40 million on the two time pro-bowler. For general manager John Elway, the decision to let his talented TE test the market is not an easy one. With question marks regarding his ability to stay healthy, however, cutting ties with Thomas remains a viable (and at this point, likely) option.
According to the Denver Post’s Mike Klis, the Jags will be very aggressive in their pursuit of Thomas. Should he land in Jacksonville, No. 80 might be the offensive juggernaut the team needs in order to jump-start the ascension of Blake Bortles at quarterback.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reports that the Falcons would be interested in gaining the services of Thomas, who could easily replace the production lost by future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez following the man’s retirement after the 2013 NFL season. With Matt Ryan’s late season renaissance in 2014, it is easy to imagine the combination of the two being absolutely deadly next season. Pair Thomas with receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White; suddenly Atlanta’s down-field arsenal becomes one of the game’s best.
It will be interesting to see just what uniform Thomas bears heading into 2015. Regardless of whom it is for, expect the four year NFL veteran to make his presence felt immediately.
H/T NFL.com
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