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Denver Broncos Rumors: No Contract Extensions For Thomases This Season Is Right Call

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By @AndrewFisherRS

Demaryius Thomas

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Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas have been on fire for the Denver Broncos in 2014. They’re the best WR/TE combo in the NFL, and they flat out make Peyton Manning‘s life a lot easier. While there’s no doubt about where Denver is headed later this season — the playoffs — what about next season?

The harsh reality for the Broncos is that both of the Thomases are due for new contracts. According to Adam Schefter, contract talks have been tabled for the remainder of 2014.

“Denver does not expect to re-sign free-agents-to-be, WR Demaryius Thomas and TE Julius Thomas, during season; will wait until after season.” — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 23, 2014

Is this a bad thing? Are the Broncos making a crucial mistake? As crazy as it seems to not negotiate in-season with your top two offensive weapons, it’s really not all that crazy.

The Broncos are a win-now team. That much was made clear by all the 2014 offseason spending that John Elway did. Denver is doing, and has done, all it can to be in position for another Super Bowl run this winter. All of their chips are on the table, mainly because there’s uncertainty around Manning’s future.

Whether fans will want to entertain this reality or not–Peyton’s career is one bad hit away from being over. If anything serious were to ever happen to him, you could go ahead and stick a fork in the Broncos. You just don’t rebound from a loss like that, especially in-season.

There’s also a retirement scenario that could play out after this season. Let’s say that Denver does make it to the mountain top in February. If that happens, there’s going to be a chance that Manning calls it a career. Sure, he’s said that he’d like to keep playing for a few more years, but another ring could easily change his tune.

All of the above is why it’s okay for Denver to wait on new contracts for the Thomases. If the Broncos were a team planning for down the road, then maybe it’s a different story. But for now, they’re a team with a short-term goal in mind.

Clearly, no matter what happens with Peyton in 2015, Elway is going to do whatever he can to bring the Thomases back for whoever the next QB may be. But right now, that’s putting the cart before the horse.

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