Peyton Manning Reflects on Friendship with Demaryius Thomas: 'I'm Very Indebted & Thankful'
As a 2010 first-round pick, Demaryius Thomas was already well on his way to NFL success with the Denver Broncos when the Indianapolis Colts made the fateful decision to cut Peyton Manning after 14 seasons with the club. Manning would go on a whirlwind free agency tour, ultimately choosing the Broncos on a five-year, $96 million deal in the spring of 2012.
From there, Thomas' NFL star took off as he and Manning rewrote the NFL record books together as the leaders of the Broncos' offense. In the aftermath of Thomas passing away last Thursday, the Broncos' media department caught up with Manning at the stadium as the team prepared to take on the Detroit Lions.
Manning's remarks on the passing of his close friend, whom he'd just texted with two days before his death, were raw and poignant.
"An especially unique guy. Obviously, an incredible player—dependable, accountable, tough, hard-working, unselfish—all the things you want in a teammate, much less an incredibly talented receiver," Manning said. "But off the field, he was every bit as good a person as he was a player. Very giving to all of his teammates' charities, great with all the players' families, coaches' families and kids, so it's been really tough. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. He will be dearly missed."
For all the amazing feats Manning accomplished alongside Thomas, what seemed to mean more to the five-time NFL MVP were the off-the-field relationships and community outreach 'D.T.' cultivated.
"He was great to my kids, great to my family, which is more important than any touchdown he ever caught from me," Manning continued. "One thing I'll say, he was a big reason that I came out here to play. I knew what he had done in just two years, but I also knew what he was capable of doing. That was a big part of the attractiveness of coming out to play for the Broncos. So, for so many reasons, I'm very indebted and thankful to Demaryius."
Together, Manning and Thomas led the Broncos to four AFC West crowns, two Super Bowl berths, and a World Championship. Along the way, Thomas was the leading receiver on what remains the NFL's most explosive and highest-scoring offense of all time.
In 2013, Manning took home his fifth NFL MVP award after passing for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards while orchestrating the Broncos' offense to the tune of 606 points — a single-season league record that still stands. That year, Thomas caught 92 Manning passes for 1,430 yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns.
That season culminated in a heart-wrenching loss to Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII but one player who did not disappoint on the biggest stage was Thomas, who set a then-record for the most catches in the NFL championship game with 13 for 118 yards and Denver's lone touchdown of the game.
The next year, Thomas set a Broncos single-season record by catching 111 of Manning's passes for 1,619 yards and 11 touchdowns. Along the way, Thomas had the privilege of catching Manning's 509th touchdown pass, which broke the NFL all-time record held at the time by Brett Favre. The Broncos lost to the Colts in the Divisional Round of the playoffs that year but stormed back in 2015 to win Super Bowl 50.
Manning retired after becoming the first quarterback ever to hoist the Lombardi Trophy as the starter for two different NFL clubs. Thomas, meanwhile, carried on in Denver, lifting Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Brock Osweiler through two difficult seasons.
From 2016-17, Thomas caught 173 passes, averaging 1,016 receiving yards in those two seasons for the Broncos. The next year, he was traded midseason to Houston.
Thomas left Denver as the team's No. 2 receiver all-time, behind only Rod Smith, in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Manning was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past summer, and his pal Demaryius was there to support him and celebrate.
Thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Thomas' family and friends, like Manning, who are very much grieving the loss of a great human being with a Georgia-sized heart.
Just hours after Manning's somber reflections on Thomas, the Broncos honored the all-time great wideout by defeating the Detroit Lions 38-10, celebrating his life with No. 88 helmet decals, a mural outside the stadium, and on-field paintings, among many other poignant tributes.
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