Demaryius Thomas says he won't be joining Peyton Manning at his annual Duke workouts, or participate in the Broncos' offseason workout program. Denver's top wideout tells Jeff Legwold he hopes to secure a long-term deal, adding about his health,
I'm getting getting my body right, still working through a little soreness in my Achilles, but I could run routes
Denver applied its non-exclusive franchise tag to Thomas earlier in the month, but he hasn't yet signed the tender, instead holding onto his only shreds of leverage. As such, Demaryius is not eligible to participate in OTAs or minicamp. The two sides face a July 15 deadline to agree to a multiyear contract or play out the one-year tender.
A large segment of Broncos Country will surely flip out, calling Demaryius a selfish glory boy who's less interested in #winning than in making ca$h, but this is clearly his smartest play. As Joel Corry explains (along with Andrew Brandt), there's just no reason for players to rush to sign franchise tenders or show up for offseason activities.
Expect the situation to drag on for several more months. We'd be quite surprised to see Denver and Demaryius agree to a new deal before late July, when training camp starts.