Demaryius Thomas Contract: Latest News and Rumors on Negotiations with Broncos

Denver Broncos superstar wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is playing for a new contract, but he won't be signing one until the offseason at the earliest.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Broncos don't intend to resume contract negotiations with Thomas or tight end Julius Thomas until after the 2014 season ends:

Schefter added more on the negotiations:

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The Broncos have only one franchise tag to use between the two, meaning that if Denver cannot re-sign one Thomas between the end of the season and the start of free agency, the other one will be allowed to hit the market and leave if he receives a better offer.

The Broncos have negotiated with both men, but with neither close to a deal, Denver recognizes that it will have to wait until after the season to address it again.

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Mike Klis of the Denver Post also passed along what he was hearing about talks between Thomas and the Broncos:

Thomas is in the midst of another fantastic campaign, as he has 39 receptions for 662 yards and six touchdowns, including quarterback Peyton Manning's record-breaking 509th career scoring pass in Week 7.

The Georgia Tech product is a two-time Pro Bowler and has already far exceeded his somewhat modest draft stock, as pointed out by Dane Brugler of CBS Sports:

It seemed as though the two sides might be able to reach an agreement prior to the start of the season, as the Broncos offered a five-year extension, per ESPN.com. Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it.

Although he has since turned it around, Thomas got off to a bit of a slow start this year. Despite the contract situation hanging over his head, he insisted it wasn't a factor, according to Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post.

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Nah, the contract is not part of it. The contract is going to work out by itself. I can't really do nothing about it. Either you play well or you don't. There's no dollar signs involved when I'm playing football. All I care about is winning. So when I can't make the play, the reason I'm upset is I'm not helping the team win.

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Now that there is some clarity regarding the Broncos' negotiation plans, there is likely even less of a chance the 26-year-old star will be distracted.

Thomas is going to receive a mega deal from someone if he continues to play at an elite level, and one can only assume he will with No. 18 throwing him the ball.

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