Julius Thomas, a tight end who has posted back-to-back 12-touchdown seasons for the Denver Broncos, is a free agent this offseason looking to get paid. The Broncos could choose to use their franchise tag on him, but they may have to slap that on star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas instead.
While some of his numbers may be inflated thanks to playing with Peyton Manning, one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, his gaudy stats have put him in line to be paid as an elite player at the tight end position. Per ESPN.com, Julius Thomas' agents have made it clear he wants to be paid as such and won't be looking to take a discount to stay in Denver.
If the Broncos can't afford to keep him, here are five landing spots where he may either flourish, or is sorely needed.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags have more cap space than any other team in the NFL, and a young wide receiver corps with promise. Despite the skill position talent, rookie QB Blake Bortles struggled mightily to engineer a productive offense, and finished the season with 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Young quarterbacks often lean on their tight ends as safety blankets, and while his receivers are great talents, there weren't any established veterans to make the game easy for Bortles. Thomas is an obvious red zone threat, and he can make plays in any situation. He is perfect to ease pressure not only on Bortles, but those outside pass-catchers as well.
New York Jets
The Jets love a flashy free agent signing, and with their quarterback situation in shambles, adding more receiving talent can never hurt. There's no big free agent passer to spend their free cap space on, so reeling in one of the game's top pass-catching tight ends makes a lot of sense.
Several mock drafts also are projecting Gang Green may land Heisman Trophy winning Oregon QB Marcus Mariota in the upcoming draft. Once again, young quarterbacks love their tight ends.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay has a good amount of cap space, and but may not be willing to break the bank to re-sign free agent WR Randall Cobb if he gets a humongous offer elsewhere. Thomas, even if he's paid as an elite TE, could be cheaper than Cobb. The Packers have some good young talent at wide receiver right now, and Thomas might be for the Packers everything that Jermichael Finley was expected to become.
Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta has great weapons already, and Matt Ryan's numbers didn't dip a ton without Tony Gonzalez at tight end, but the Dirty Birds were more predictable in 2014.
The Falcons' defense needs so much work that it can't be fixed in one season. They will need to focus on that in the draft and slowly build it up. The offense, on the other hand, is ready to rock. Adding Thomas to the mix, while making the run game more explosive by handing the backfield to Devonta Freeman could return Atlanta's offense to an elite level.
Cleveland Browns
If Thomas signed in Cleveland, he might need a thorough head examination. That said, few teams have been robbed of their playmakers like Cleveland. Star WR Josh Gordon is already suspended for the season, TE Jordan Cameron has no interest in re-signing, and their QB of the future, Johnny Manziel, is currently in rehab instead of prepping for the 2015 season. Unless they can pull off some magic trade, their options are re-signing Brian Hoyer, bringing on Mark Sanchez, or-something worse.
Thomas would instantly be Cleveland's top target in the passing game, and lessen the focus on their second-tier receivers masquerading as No. 1 options.
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