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Julius Thomas on Jacksonville Jaguars Free Agency Wish List

By Chase Ruttig

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Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas (80) in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game against the Indianapolis Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas is more than likely on his way out of Mile High Stadium and the AFC West division champions roster, making the biggest question surrounding the back to back 12 touchdown target being where he lands once 2015 NFL Free Agency begins.

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Earlier in February it was reported that the two frontrunners for Thomas would be the Broncos AFC West rivals in the Oakland Raiders and the team that beat Denver in the 2013 Super Bowl in the Seattle Seahawks. Oakland having ties to Thomas through his Northern California roots while the Seahawks allegedly tried shopping Percy Harvin for Thomas at the 2014 NFL Trade Deadline.

Oakland looked to have the best chances of landing Thomas based on their high amounts of cap space, but according to reports out of the NFL Scouting Combine there will be another struggling team with massive 2015 cap space vying for the tight end in free agency as the Jacksonville Jaguars are poised to enter the mix.

Jacksonville, like Oakland, are looking to bring in a red zone weapon to help out their young quarterback as the Jaguars reached for Blake Bortles out of UCF in the Top 5 of the 2014 NFL Draft. Lacking an elite target for Bortles to pass to, the AFC South team had expected problems putting points on the scoreboard through the air and now they may be ready to break the bank on Thomas to solve the issue.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post claims that the Broncos could lose Thomas to the Jaguars, who in his words will be one of the the most aggressive pursuers” for Thomas when March 10 opens up 2015 Free Agency.

If the Jaguars are indeed going to make an aggressive push for Thomas it does not bode well for the Raiders, who won’t be as interested in an overpaying situation as they already have the young Mychal Rivera at the tight end position. Jacksonville will be more desperate, needing serious help at the position should they want to make a push in a division that is currently dominated by the Colts and the Houston Texans.

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The Raiders are interested in Thomas based on his roots in California along with those two straight 12 touchdown seasons with Peyton Manning, but the chemistry between Derek Carr and Rivera could give general manager Reggie McKenzie a valid reason to see how the market plays out with a player who is expecting to get at the very least one of the top paying contracts at the position.

Thomas deserves top money after two strong years, but injuries during both of those seasons makes it hard to envision McKenzie outbidding over market value for the tight end if the Jaguars decide to throw their money around to outbid the field. Jacksonville may have to do so, with Thomas having options like staying in the Broncos division with Oakland along with the floated around potential move to Seattle to play with a Super Bowl contender. Both of those options far more enticing than playing for a rebuilding team thousands of miles from his home state of California.

That doesn’t mean that the Jaguars don’t pose a serious threat for Thomas, but they will have to be prepared to break the bank for the tight end with an offer that the Seahawks or the Raiders will not match. If they can do that a player looking for a certain priced payday could head down to Florida, but if Jacksonville are looking to get Thomas at market value that may just be wishful thinking. Anything can happen on March 10, and with many potential suitors lining up to give Thomas the payday he feels he is worth the tight end will be guaranteed to be one of the biggest storylines to follow once the market opens.

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