If the dream of Demaryius Thomas is to be the highest-paid receiver on the planet, then he should know Denver is the wrong place in the world for him to work.
When keeping score by money, the Broncos play football on the terms of franchise executive John Elway and nobody else.
What part of this does Thomas fail to comprehend?
These tough negotiations between the Broncos and Thomas have nothing to do with loyalty or greed or any of the other bunk that often defines the click-bait debate. How Elway elects to allocate the money available under the salary cap is the clearest definition of what team he wants the Broncos to be after Peyton Manning leaves town.
Staring at the 2 p.m. Wednesday deadline to strike a multiyear contract, you can bet the only way a deal happens is if Thomas blinks, and he backs off his pie-in-the-sky dream of being paid more than Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson, who earns more than $16 million annually.
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This is not meant as criticism of Thomas. This is the reality: In today’s NFL, no receiver is worth $16 million.
Can you name the receiver who caught the winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl victory by New England? Answer: Julian Edelman. He makes $17 million … for the entire length of his four-year contract.
Receivers don’t lead teams to the Super Bowl. They are the sidekicks to quarterbacks that win championships. If Elway gives Thomas a long-term deal worth a penny more than $14 million a year, he’s nuts.
And Elway is not crazy. He’s a ruthless negotiator, willing to lock his heart in a drawer when there’s money on the table. Ask Elvis Dumervil. Or Julius Thomas. If Elway was willing to cut the pay of Peyton Manning, then he isn’t afraid to play hardball with D.T., no matter how much the Broncos love a receiver who can dictate defensive coverage before the snap and transform a bubble screen into a long touchdown after the catch.
The Broncos are stuck in a dangerous place for any sports franchise, with one foot stuck in the past, hoping to coax one more Super Bowl run from a team that has been built around Manning, near the end at age 39. At the same time, Elway is itching to move forward with the next incarnation of the Broncos, as is evidenced by his stubborn faith that 23-year-old rookie Ty Sambarilo is ready to start at left tackle, one of the more demanding offensive positions on the field.
A football executive that does not relentlessly churn his roster is doomed to compound past regrets for being bounced in the first round of the playoffs. So if cornerback Chris Harris Jr. gives the Broncos a hometown discount with a contract extension, he fits with the plan. If Thomas craves top dollar, then here’s hoping he will be happy down the road in Tennessee, Carolina or wherever his dream takes him.
Yes, the franchise tag stinks for any NFL player, even if it guarantees Thomas a $12.82 million salary for 2015. But if he’s looking for long-term security and a measure of respect in contract negotiations, then Thomas picked the wrong career. Pro football treats players like meat.
Football is a dangerous sport, and I can’t blame Thomas for seeking as much guaranteed money as possible, because at 27 years old he’s in the prime of a career in a sport where players older than 30 are far more likely to get a slash in pay or get cut off the roster than a raise. If Thomas wanted money for nothing, he should have learned to shoot a jump shot.
There are no good guys or bad guys in NFL contract negotiations.
There’s only the bottom line.
It wouldn’t be prudent for Elway to pay one penny more than necessary to lock up Thomas’ services through the end of this decade, when the Broncos can’t be certain whether Manning or Brock Osweiler will be the team’s quarterback next season.
The quaint notion of Bronco for life retired with Elway a long time ago.
If no long-term deal can be struck on Elway’s terms before the deadline, here’s my proposal: Sweeten the one-year, $12.82 million deal by $1 million to ensure Thomas is a happy camper at Dove Valley when training camp practices begin July 31. Let him test free agency in 2016 rather than apply the franchise tag again. The here and now is all that’s guaranteed in pro football.
There is no tomorrow in the Not For Long.
Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or
