Clayton: Demaryius Thomas joins list of great Broncos pass catchers

Demaryius Thomas announced his retirement on Monday. What a great career he had over his 10 years in the league.

He was one of the best receivers in Broncos history. He finished third in receptions with 718. He was second in yards with 9,814 yards. He was second with 66 touchdown catches.

Those won’t be good enough to get him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rod Smith hasn’t made it in with 898 catches, 12,249 yards and 74 touchdowns.

What Thomas does show is the Broncos have been one of the best franchises for getting great pass catches. Thomas and Smith are joined by Shannon Sharpe on that list. Jerry Jeudy will be the next great one.

I will never forget the great route he ran against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2011 AFC Wild Card Game. Troy Polamalu ran up to the line of scrimmage and left the middle of the field open. Thomas caught the pass and ran for an 80-yard touchdown that allowed an 8-8 team win a playoff game with Tim Tebow as the quarterback.

One thing of note is Thomas retired at the age of 32. This shows that 32 is a critical age for wide receivers.

Currently, there are only seven receivers who are 32 or over. That list includes special teamers Andre Roberts and Matt Slater. Julio Jones, A.J. Green, DeSean Jackson, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are the only receivers left between the ages of 32 and 34.

The timing for Thomas was right. He didn’t play last year. He’s 32 and his career was great.

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