Demaryius Thomas: Chances ’50-50′ on trade before deadline

4:02 pm | October 28, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

7:24 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo.– In the moments after Sunday’s 30-23 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, a plainly frustrated Demaryius Thomas put the odds at “50-50” that he will be traded in the coming days.

Thomas, who was a first-round pick in 2010, is the Denver Broncos’ longest-tenured player. He is second in franchise history — to Ring of Famer Rod Smith — in most of the team’s major receiving categories. Thomas has been a team captain and one of the most durable, consistent performers through good times and bad.

“How would you feel at your job [if] your boss, whoever, said they wanted you someplace else?” Thomas said. “And you come into work every day and have to think about it? How would you feel? But I had to do it for my team, like it was normal, act like it was normal. It just kept coming up, from left and right … I had to think about it … It’ll be interesting to see what happens in next couple days.”

The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday, and the Broncos have clearly listened to offers for the ninth-year wide receiver. With high-profile teams with playoff aspirations such as the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles thin at receiver, Thomas has seen his name in plenty of headlines.

Asked to make a prediction for what he thinks will happen, Thomas said Sunday: “I wish I knew, bro. I wish I could tell you, I really don’t know. Predict? 50-50, 50-50.”

Asked if a win over the Chiefs — to get the Broncos to 4-4 instead of falling to 3-5 — would have helped his odds of staying, Thomas said: “Yes, sir, probably so.”

Thomas is second on the team in receptions (36) and receiving yards (402) and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (three) this season. But his hefty salary-cap figure for 2019 — $17.533 million in what is the last year of his deal — and the emergence of rookie Courtland Sutton as a big-play threat have raised the possibility of Thomas being shipped elsewhere.

Thomas finished Sunday’s loss with three catches for 30 yards.

Broncos president of football operations/general manager John Elway has not commented publicly on the possibility of trading Thomas. Broncos coach Vance Joseph said after Sunday’s game that he believes Thomas will not be traded.

“I don’t believe so. I haven’t been told that,” Joseph said. “… He played hard [Sunday]. He’s all into us. I have not heard that.”

Thomas was asked whether he had been told by any team official that he could be traded or the team was listening to offers or he was being shopped, and he briefly paused and said, “No. My agent told me something. That’s it.”

Asked if he believes someone should have talked to him, he added: “It should have never got out, to tell you the truth. I wouldn’t have even been thinking about it if it never would have got out. Nobody would even be talking about it.”