The Patriots have signed wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, adding another contender for playing time to their receiving corps. But it remains to be seen how much (if anything) Thomas has left.
The NFL Network reports indicate Thomas signed a one-year deal worth up to $6 million, but that might be misleading. It’s possible most of the money is tied to incentives that won’t be reached. And with this deal having just been signed, the amount of guaranteed money is unknown. (If the Patriots aren’t paying Thomas much money up front, they would have the ability to look at him throughout August and painlessly release him if they didn’t like what they saw.)
Thomas suffered an Achilles injury in December and isn’t certain to be 100 percent when training camp open. He’s also a 31-year-old receiver who simply isn’t nearly as explosive as he was in the past. Over the last two years he’s averaged only 11.5 yards per catch. Among players with at least 100 receptions, only 11 have averaged fewer yards per catch (and all but two were slot receivers).
With less speed, Thomas nowadays looks more like Brandon Marshall – a big receiver who needs to rely on his size. He doesn’t get much separation, so more balls turn into contested situations (see photo).
| YARDS PER CATCH (2017-18) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yds | Avg | TDP |
| T.Y. Hilton | 133 | 2,236 | 16.8 | 10 |
| Tyreek Hill | 162 | 2,662 | 16.4 | 19 |
| Mike Evans | 157 | 2,525 | 16.1 | 13 |
| Brandin Cooks | 145 | 2,286 | 15.8 | 12 |
| Julio Jones | 201 | 3,121 | 15.5 | 11 |
| Robby Anderson | 113 | 1,693 | 15.0 | 13 |
| Tyler Lockett | 102 | 1,520 | 14.9 | 12 |
| A.J. Green | 121 | 1,772 | 14.6 | 14 |
| Robert Woods | 142 | 2,000 | 14.1 | 11 |
| Cooper Kupp | 102 | 1,435 | 14.1 | 11 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 211 | 2,950 | 14.0 | 24 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | 169 | 2,343 | 13.9 | 14 |
| Antonio Brown | 205 | 2,830 | 13.8 | 24 |
| Amari Cooper | 123 | 1,685 | 13.7 | 14 |
| Alshon Jeffery | 122 | 1,632 | 13.4 | 15 |
| Odell Beckham | 102 | 1,354 | 13.3 | 9 |
| Keenan Allen | 199 | 2,589 | 13.0 | 12 |
| Adam Thielen | 204 | 2,649 | 13.0 | 13 |
| Devin Funchess | 107 | 1,389 | 13.0 | 12 |
| Doug Baldwin | 125 | 1,609 | 12.9 | 13 |
| Sterling Shepard | 125 | 1,603 | 12.8 | 6 |
| Davante Adams | 185 | 2,271 | 12.3 | 23 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 118 | 1,423 | 12.1 | 6 |
| Nelson Agholor | 126 | 1,504 | 11.9 | 12 |
| Mohamed Sanu | 133 | 1,541 | 11.6 | 9 |
| Jermaine Kearse | 102 | 1,181 | 11.6 | 6 |
| Michael Thomas | 229 | 2,650 | 11.6 | 14 |
| Demaryius Thomas | 142 | 1,626 | 11.5 | 10 |
| Stefon Diggs | 166 | 1,870 | 11.3 | 17 |
| Michael Crabtree | 112 | 1,225 | 10.9 | 11 |
| Golden Tate | 166 | 1,798 | 10.8 | 9 |
| Taylor Gabriel | 100 | 1,066 | 10.7 | 3 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 178 | 1,890 | 10.6 | 12 |
| Adam Humphries | 137 | 1,447 | 10.6 | 6 |
| Jordy Nelson | 116 | 1,221 | 10.5 | 9 |
| Danny Amendola | 120 | 1,234 | 10.3 | 3 |
| Jarvis Landry | 193 | 1,963 | 10.2 | 13 |
| Randall Cobb | 104 | 1,036 | 10.0 | 6 |
| Cole Beasley | 101 | 986 | 9.8 | 7 |
If we wind it back to the 2012-13 seasons, Thomas was one of the league’s most feared deep threats – a big, fast Julio type who would consistently make plays downfield. He averaged 4 more yards per catch at that time. Over those two seasons, only seven receivers averaged more yards per catch.
| YARDS PER CATCH (2012-13) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yds | Avg | TDP |
| Josh Gordon | 137 | 2,451 | 17.9 | 14 |
| Torrey Smith | 114 | 1,983 | 17.4 | 12 |
| Vincent Jackson | 150 | 2,608 | 17.4 | 15 |
| Calvin Johnson | 206 | 3,456 | 16.8 | 17 |
| Nate Washington | 104 | 1,665 | 16.0 | 7 |
| DeSean Jackson | 127 | 2,032 | 16.0 | 11 |
| Alshon Jeffery | 113 | 1,788 | 15.8 | 10 |
| Demaryius Thomas | 186 | 2,864 | 15.4 | 24 |
| Jordy Nelson | 134 | 2,059 | 15.4 | 15 |
| Julio Jones | 120 | 1,778 | 14.8 | 12 |
| T.Y. Hilton | 132 | 1,944 | 14.7 | 12 |
| Lance Moore | 102 | 1,498 | 14.7 | 8 |
| Michael Floyd | 110 | 1,603 | 14.6 | 7 |
| Hakeem Nicks | 109 | 1,588 | 14.6 | 3 |
| Golden Tate | 109 | 1,586 | 14.6 | 12 |
| Cecil Shorts III | 121 | 1,756 | 14.5 | 10 |
| A.J. Green | 195 | 2,776 | 14.2 | 22 |
| Dez Bryant | 185 | 2,615 | 14.1 | 25 |
| Steve Smith Sr. | 137 | 1,919 | 14.0 | 8 |
| Anquan Boldin | 150 | 2,100 | 14.0 | 11 |
| Brian Hartline | 150 | 2,099 | 14.0 | 5 |
| Donnie Avery | 100 | 1,377 | 13.8 | 5 |
| Eric Decker | 172 | 2,352 | 13.7 | 24 |
| Andre Johnson | 221 | 3,005 | 13.6 | 9 |
| Michael Crabtree | 104 | 1,389 | 13.4 | 10 |
| Roddy White | 155 | 2,062 | 13.3 | 10 |
| Marques Colston | 158 | 2,097 | 13.3 | 15 |
| Victor Cruz | 159 | 2,090 | 13.1 | 14 |
| James Jones | 123 | 1,601 | 13.0 | 17 |
| Antonio Brown | 176 | 2,286 | 13.0 | 13 |
| Reggie Wayne | 144 | 1,858 | 12.9 | 7 |
| Mike Wallace | 137 | 1,766 | 12.9 | 13 |
| Brandon Marshall | 218 | 2,803 | 12.9 | 23 |
| Dwayne Bowe | 116 | 1,474 | 12.7 | 8 |
| Pierre Garcon | 157 | 1,979 | 12.6 | 9 |
| Stevie Johnson | 131 | 1,643 | 12.5 | 9 |
| Randall Cobb | 111 | 1,387 | 12.5 | 12 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 111 | 1,366 | 12.3 | 7 |
| Harry Douglas | 123 | 1,463 | 11.9 | 3 |
| Andre Roberts | 107 | 1,230 | 11.5 | 7 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 153 | 1,752 | 11.5 | 14 |
| Greg Jennings | 104 | 1,170 | 11.3 | 8 |
| Wes Welker | 191 | 2,132 | 11.2 | 16 |
| Danny Amendola | 117 | 1,299 | 11.1 | 5 |
| Davone Bess | 103 | 1,140 | 11.1 | 3 |
| Kendall Wright | 158 | 1,705 | 10.8 | 6 |
| Julian Edelman | 126 | 1,291 | 10.2 | 9 |
The Patriots have a long history of kicking the tires on older receivers. Joey Galloway, Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne and Chad Johnson come to mind. To me, Thomas looks like one of those kind of guys.
New England in 2007 traded for a 30-year-old receiver who worked out very well: Randy Moss. So they haven’t missed on all of their older receiver acquisitions. But if I were walking into a draft today, I wouldn’t think there would be any chance that I would select Thomas.
—Ian Allan