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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- **Deadlines usually spur action, and the one that hit at 2 p.m. Wednesday was no different.
With the hours dwindling and the window to sign a long-term contract closing, the stasis in the negotiations between the Broncos and Demaryius Thomas evaporated early Wednesday, and by 1:55 p.m. MDT, a five-year deal between the parties was announced.
Take a look through Demaryius Thomas' career as a Denver Bronco, including his milestones.
Drafted in the first round at 22nd overall of the 2010 NFL Draft, Demaryius Thomas holds up his jersey.
Then a rookie, Demaryius Thomas scores his first career touchdown in his first NFL game. He totaled 97 receiving yards on eight receptions with the one touchdown in his debut, also a Broncos victory.
On Dec. 4, 2011, Demaryius Thomas notched his first career 100-yard receiving game with four catches for 144 yards. He also scored two touchdowns in the game, at the time a personal best.
Thomas snags a pass as a Bears defender dives for his feet. Thomas had seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in the week following his first 100-yard receiving game.
Thomas snags a pass as a Bears defender dives for his feet. Thomas had seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in the week following his first 100-yard receiving game.
Demaryius Thomas sprints to the end zone on a 71-yard catch-and-run. The touchdown was Peyton Manning's 400th career passing touchdown.
Thomas reaches up over two Patriots defenders to make a catch against New England. With 180 receiving yards, Thomas set his career-best mark to that point.
Multiple Saints defenders close in on Demaryius Thomas as they try to stop his progress. Thomas had seven receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown against New Orleans.
Thomas catches a pass over his shoulder against the Panthers in 2012. He would tie his personal best of nine receptions and total 135 receiving yards.
Beyond a leaping defender's outstretched arms, Demaryius Thomas makes a touchdown catch during a nine-reception, 102-yard game in 2012
Demaryius Thomas warms up before his first Pro Bowl game. Thomas recorded 1,434 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns and 94 receptions in 2012.
Demaryius Thomas strides to the end zone against the Chargers in 2013, scoring his third touchdown of the game, a personal record.
Two Raiders defenders try to stop Demaryius Thomas from reaching the goal line during a Sept. 2013 game. Thomas would make a career-best 10 receptions in the game.
Demaryius Thomas lands softly with the ball for a touchdown against the Patriots in the AFC Championship. The Broncos would win and Thomas would record 134 receiving yards on seven catches.
A Cardinals defender looks on after missing a tackle on Demaryius Thomas, who would sprint to an 86-yard touchdown, the longest reception he has had in his career.
Demaryius Thomas relaxes in the crowd with Broncos fans after scoring a long touchdown against the Cardinals. With 226 receiving yards on eight receptions, Thomas would set a personal and franchise record for receiving yards.
Demaryius Thomas is careful to keep both feet inbounds for a touchdown against the 49ers. The score was Peyton Manning's 509th career passing touchdown, establishing Manning as the NFL record holder in the category.
Multiple Chargers defenders pursue Demaryius Thomas during a game in October, 2014. With 105 receiving yards, Thomas recorded his fourth-straight game with at least 100 receiving yards, a Broncos record. Thomas would extend the record to seven consecutive games.
During this game against Oakland in November of 2014, Demaryius Thomas caught 11 passes, setting his career record for receptions.
In 2014, Demaryius Thomas recorded seven consecutive 100-yard receiving games, finishing with this 103-yard game against the Rams.
Demaryius Thomas broke the Broncos' single-season franchise record for 100-yard receiving games against the Bengals for his ninth of the year, and then he extended his lead for the record with another 100-yard game against the Raiders, his 10th of the season.
"It really started this morning," said Executive Vice President/General Manager John Elway late Thursday afternoon. "We met with (agent) Todd France back on the first of June, end of May. We both got offers on the table. At that point in time, there wasn't any movement until this morning.
"So once things got going this morning, then that's when we got a deal done."
The result was what Elway termed a "very fair deal for both sides." The Broncos got a contract that fits into their recent "pay-as-you-go" philosophy, and Thomas got a massive initial guarantee.
"They were where they were, and we were where we were, and we were able to come together," Elway said. "We wanted to get a deal done; they knew that. Demaryius wanted to stay in Denver, and we wanted him to want to stay in Denver, so I think eventually there was going to be a deal done. It was just a matter of trying to get those terms where we both could live with those terms."
Thomas' deal was announced less than an hour after the Cowboys announced their contract with wide receiver Dez Bryant, another member of the draft class of 2010 who received the franchise tag. Their comparable production yielded similar contracts.
"We had our numbers set up, and we did figure out what we believed was the correct value for Broncos as well as for Demaryius. It just took a while to get to that point," Elway said. "I think any time that you have two special football players at the same position that are going into a franchise year, there's always caution in that no one jumps the gun. That's why it went as long as it went, to be able to make sure that everybody -- especially from the agent side -- was where they needed to be.
"... There's no question that DT is one of the top wide receivers in the league, and he's being compensated that way now," Elway added later. "So we have high expectations. We think he's coming right into his prime. We don't anticipate him backing up at all -- especially with the expectations being increased now."
Thomas' character and reputation at team headquarters also mattered in the Broncos' decision to commit so much guaranteed money to him.
"That's definitely a part of the decision-making process," Elway said, "because when you're paying this kind of money to a player, you're hoping that he's not only the right kind of player on the field, but also the right player off [the field]."
Thomas wasn't the first of this wave of homegrown Broncos to receive a new contract, following in the footsteps of cornerback Chris Harris Jr. last December. He also won't be the last, with a slew of expiring contracts lurking over the horizon for next winter, a group led by pending unrestricted free agents Von Miller, Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan and projected restricted free agent C.J. Anderson.
"We're prepared for all those," Elway said. "I think that's what it comes down to, when we look at what the value is for the Broncos, what we can afford and how we can fit it in the structure and how that fits into our football team. All of those things will go into consideration when we determine what we're going to pay somebody."
Elway said the team has plans for three and four years down the line to fit the players they want to retain within their salary-cap budget.
"We're well aware of what we have coming up. We have a lot of good football players coming up. Demaryius is a big part of that, and that's why he's the first part of trying to keep this football team together."
Added Elway later: "DT was the first step, and we'll have a plan for Von next year as well as other players. We've got a couple of other really good football players that are also coming into their last year, and we'll try to hold onto as many as we can. Obviously it's impossible to hold on to everyone in the salary-cap era, but we're going to do our best to keep them all."
