Collusion Rumors Swirl around the Denver Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas
At this point, they are just rumors, but the Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys are being investigated by the NFLPA, which thinks the two sides may have colluded regarding the contracts of Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant.
The star wideouts were both drafted in the same year, both in the first round. Many people expected the Broncos to take Bryant, but they surprised everyone by taking Thomas first. Bryant then fell a few picks and went to the Cowboys.
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Now, both players have worked through their rookie deals and have been given the franchise tag by their respective organizations.
The exact details of the alleged collusion have not been released at this time, but the NFLPA seems to believe the Broncos and the Cowboys talked about the contracts, which is against the regulations.
Contracts are often based off of other deals for similar players. For example, if the Broncos were to give Thomas $13 million per year before Bryant signed his deal, then Bryant’s camp would use that to demand at least $13 million from the Cowboys. This doesn’t mean they’d be forced to match the offer, but things often scale up as contracts are used to determine the worth of individual players.
If the two sides did have contact, the speculation is that they were trying to keep the cost down. They could both agree to offer $12 million, for example, keeping Thomas and Bryant below the numbers that they really want. Thomas reportedly is interested in making closer to $16 million per year, which would be in line with the Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson.
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Nothing is solid yet, but, if the Broncos and Cowboys really did talk to each other, it could be very bad for all parties involved. The Broncos could be subjected to fines and other such punishments. It would also splinter the relationship between the Broncos and Thomas even further, and it could prevent them from ever agreeing on a contract. Thomas would feel slighted, as if the club was working against him, and he’d probably want to go somewhere else so that he felt the executives had his back.
Remember, these are only rumors at this point. It just means the NFLPA is going to look into it, and nothing may come of it. In fact, some team sources have said the two sides never talked. It could all fade away in the coming months and be forgotten. However, with both Thomas and Bryant unsigned, it is definitely something fans should keep an eye on going forward.