Oakland Raiders: Is Julius Thomas Worth the Price Tag?

Well, the relationship between Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas and the organization sure deteriorated quickly.

It appears that Thomas, one of the most lethal red zone threats over the last couple of seasons, is going to hit the open market. Though the Broncos are saying they’ve done what they can to keep him, Thomas’ agent, Frank Bauer, says that Denver hasn’t, but is ready to move on without him anyway.

As if the Oakland Raiders didn’t already have enough personnel decisions to make this offseason.

In an interview with the Denver Post on Friday, Bauer said:

"“The Broncos came to me, we tried to get it done, it didn’t work. Does Julius love Denver? Yes. Does Julius love the fans there? No question. Does he love the organization and the community? Look at what he does for kids in that town. But for some reason people are trying to tear him down. In my opinion what they’re doing by tearing him down is pushing him away”"

A report that appeared on BSNDenver.com from Brandon Spano a week ago indicates that Thomas is being “pushed out of Denver” not just because of money, but because he was divisive in the locker room. Spano, citing those always troublesome “unnamed sources,” said that among other things, Thomas “refused to put it all out there,” and that he sees football as nothing more than a “business opportunity.”

"“Julius Thomas plays football because he can but not because he has to. He has no long term aspirations for it and is not looking to make a lengthy career out of it. Julius is here to get his money and get out. That’s just how some guys are. He didn’t grow up playing this game and it’s just not in his DNA to put it all out there.”"

And because Thomas has something of a history with injuries, Spano’s anonymous source went on to questioning the tight end’s toughness, and all but saying that he’s “soft.” Thomas missed three games last season with an ankle injury, and played through the pain in a couple of others. It was clear to anybody watching – anybody without an agenda, that is – that Thomas wasn’t himself at the end of the season.

November 9, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas (80) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The report went on to say that the Broncos offered Thomas a contract in the neighborhood of eight million dollars a year for five years, but he turned it down. The report – if it is indeed true – would have made Thomas the third highest paid tight end in the NFL, just behind Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints, and Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots.

But the timing of the report, as well as the anonymous nature of it, leaves many highly skeptical of it. Many wonder whether this was just a hatchet job by members of the Broncos organization with the goal of driving his market value down. After all, losing Thomas would strip Peyton Manning of one of his most reliable weapons – especially down in the red zone.

Whatever it was, or whatever was intended by that anonymous report, the net effect is that there is no question now that Thomas is leaving Denver. The question now becomes, given the fact that there will be no shortage of suitors, where will he land?

The Sehawks, Falcons, Jaguars, and Browns all have a need and are reported to be interested in talking to Thomas. But might the Raiders have an edge on the competition for his services?

Thomas is on record as saying he grew up a Raiders fan, and that playing for the team is a real possibility. What it is going to boil down to – as these things always do – is a question of money. As in, how much are the Raiders willing to offer him to wear the Silver and Black.

Given his production – 1,277 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns over the last two seasons – he likely will be looking for a contract in the neighborhood of $8 or $9 million dollars a season. And according to his agent, it’s the structure of the deal – and the guaranteed money – that’s most important.

“The main thing was the structure. In any contract in the National Football League, it all has to do with how the guarantees are written. Are there full skill/injury/cap guarantees? Or are they conditional? There are clubs that do it the old way. And they’re getting their players done and keeping their own. In this case, the guarantees were too low. The guarantees were conditional.”

It’s pretty obvious that Bauer and Thomas are looking for a contract with a lot of guaranteed money in it. Guaranteed money the Broncos weren’t willing to give. But will the Raiders?

There is no question that Thomas would provide Derek Carr with a big, physical, and most importantly, reliable target. Especially down in the red zone. It goes without saying that a tight end of Thomas’ caliber would considerably upgrade the Raiders offense.

Yes, they have Mychal Rivera, and he’s shown some flashes of how good he can be. But he has some consistency issues of his own to work on, and of the two, Thomas is the more reliable target at this point. Rivera needs a little more seasoning, and having the ability to learn from somebody like Thomas could only benefit him while his presence would benefit the offense as a whole.

The Raiders desperately need offensive playmakers. They need guys who can get into the end zone. Thomas has proven that he can do that. Quite a bit.