The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly agreed to sign star Denver Broncos free agent tight end Julius Thomas.
Blake Bortles was drafted last season by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be the face of the future at the quarterback position, but he struggled through his reason. There were multiple issues with his game, but they are all fixable and he should come back much improved in 2015. Jacksonville is doing everything they can to help him out, and have gone out and signed star Denver Broncos free agent tight end Julius Thomas.
Jaguars and free-agent TE Julius Thomas have reached an agreement, per @MikeKlis. Big pickup for Jacksonville.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2015
This is a huge deal for the Jaguars, and it will be a huge addition for them. They usually don’t get high-profile free agents to consider them, much less sign with them. Jacksonville is heading in the right direction, and signing Thomas is going to help them get there much quicker.
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Thomas was one of the best offensive free agents on the market, but will have to get used to the change of not playing with Peyton Manning. It is going to be a major change for him, going from a Super Bowl contender to a team that is struggling to make their way back to the postseason. Despite the differences, he is still more than capable of stepping up as a leader and help speed the process up.
During the 2014 season with the Broncos, Thomas ended up catching 43 passes for 489 yards and 12 touchdowns. He dealt with some ankle issues throughout the course of the season as well, and played very well despite them. Looking back to the 2013 season, Thomas broke out in a huge way and caught 65 passes for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He is just 26 years old, and has quite a few years of top-notch football left in him. Jacksonville has completely changed the perception of their franchise, and they are now a place where players wouldn’t mind signing.
There is no question that the currently Jaguars’ coaching staff is a quality staff, and they are without question turning things around. It is just a matter of time before Jacksonville finds themselves back in the postseason. Perhaps they will take a step forward and make a run at it this season, although that might be a bit of a stretch.
It will be very interesting to see whether or not the Jaguars look back at this signing as one of the first steps to get them back to relevance. Thomas certainly has the ability to dominate for the Jaguars’ offense, and they made the right move by being aggressive and getting a deal done.
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