The New England Patriots didn’t acquire Demaryius Thomas at the NFL trade deadline, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
The Denver Broncos reportedly have traded Thomas and a seventh-round draft pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for fourth- and seventh-round picks. According to Mike Klis of Denver’s 9News, the Texans beat out three competitors to land Thomas: the Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans and Patriots.
https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/1057324531247808512
New England reportedly was in the market for a “bona fide” receiver, and Thomas fits that bill. So, what did the Patriots offer Denver for the veteran wideout? NFL Network’s Mike Giardi offered some insight Tuesday afternoon.
#Patriots stayed in on Demaryius Thomas throughout. League source believes Pats request for Broncos to eat money on the trade led Denver to go in a different direction. A competitive offer but not – obviously – enough.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 30, 2018
According to Giardi, it appears New England asked the Broncos to absorb some of Thomas’ salary, which isn’t cheap: The 31-year-old is making $8.5 million this year and is set to receive $14 million in base salary in 2019, the final year of his contract.
The Texans, who just lost receiver Will Fuller V for the season, likely were a little more desperate to add a pass-catcher and meet Denver’s asking price. They’ll take on $4.5 million of Thomas’ contract, per Klis.
https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/1057339677483679744
That means it’s back to the drawing board for the Patriots, who reportedly may even give up a receiver before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
