Report: Demaryius Thomas wants over $16 million per year; Broncos offered $12 mill

Demaryius Thomas and the Denver Broncos are reportedly far apart in contract negotiations, and that could be because Thomas wants to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.

Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports that the Broncos have offered Thomas a deal that would pay him “substantially more” than the $12 million per season Mike Wallace makes with the Minnesota Vikings. Wallace is the second-highest paid receiver in the league behind Calvin Johnson, who makes more than $16 million a year.

Thomas reportedly wants to be paid more than Johnson, which means the latest offer he has received from the Broncos is nowhere near what he is seeking.

At this point, it seems like Johnson’s contract is an outlier. No one at the wide receiver position is making anything close to the Detroit Lions star, and the NFL Players Association is reportedly investigating whether the Broncos and Dallas Cowboys have engaged in collusion to assure that Thomas and Dez Bryant don’t get Johnson money. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is said to have told Bryant that Johnson’s contract was driven by a pre-rookie wage scale that no longer applies.

Thomas will likely hold out from training camp if a long-term deal cannot be reached by Wednesday’s franchise tender deadline, though he has not made his intentions public in the same manner that Bryant has made his.