Thomas was born inMontrose, Georgia, on December 25, 1987. When he was a child, police raided the house where his mother and grandmother lived. His mother was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and his grandmother to life in prison, forcrack cocaine distribution.[4][5] By all accounts a shy and introverted child, Thomas grew up with his aunt and uncle after his mother was sent to prison.[6] As a child, Thomas was given the nickname "Bay Bay" by his uncle in reference to the bad kids from the movieBebe's Kids. On July 13, 2015, PresidentBarack Obamacommuted his mother's sentence.[7] She was released at midnight on November 11, 2015[8] and saw her son play football for the first time on January 17, 2016.[9] On August 2, 2016, Obama commuted the sentence of Thomas' grandmother.[10]
Thomas attendedWest Laurens High School inDexter, Georgia, where he was a three-sport star inbasketball,football, andtrack.[11] Thomas playedwide receiver for the Raiders football team under the direction of then head coach John Kenny.[12] As a junior in 2004, Thomas recorded 32 receptions for 330 yards and threetouchdowns. He was named an all-region and all-Heart of Georgia player. As a senior, Thomas recorded 82 receptions for 1,234 yards and 10 touchdowns.[13] After the game, he participated in the North-South All-Star game.[14] Thomas was again selected as an all-region and all-Heart of Georgia, andThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution named him to its Class AA all-state first team andPrepStar to its All-Region team.Scout.com assessed Thomas as the 22nd-ranked college prospect in the state of Georgia, andRivals.com rated him the 34th-ranked such prospect.[15] Thomas receivedscholarship offers fromDuke,Georgia, andGeorgia Tech.[16]
In addition to playing football, Thomas competed intrack & field at West Laurens. He earned a fourth-place finish in thetriple jump event at the 2006 Georgia Olympics after clearing a personal-best mark of 13.92 meters (45–4).[17] As a sprinter, Thomas posted a personal-best time of 10.99 seconds in the100-meter dash and was a member of the 4 × 100 m relay squad.[18]
Thomas made his collegiate debut in the 33–3 victory overNotre Dame, recording a single reception for nine yards.[20] He scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 56-yard pass from Taylor Bennett in the Yellow Jackets' fourth game againstVirginia.[21] In the following game, againstMaryland, Thomas recorded his best statistical game of the season with nine receptions for 139 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 28–26 loss.[22] In the2007 Humanitarian Bowl, he made four receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown in the 40–28 loss toFresno State.[23]The Sporting News named Thomas to its freshman All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) first team and a freshmanAll-America honorable mention.[15] In2007, he saw action in all 13 games including 10starts, and recorded 35 receptions for 558 yards, which ranked second on the team behind Greg Smith's 588 yards. In addition, he led the team with four receiving touchdowns.[24][25]
In2008,Paul Johnson was hired as the head coach and implemented the run-heavytriple option offense. Thomas considered transferring but decided against doing so.[26] During the season, he recorded 39 receptions for 627 yards and three touchdowns as the leading receiver.[15][27][28] Despite playing in a heavily run-oriented system, as one of the team's few experienced players, Thomas recorded relatively high numbers for the Yellow Jackets.[29] Still, compared with other receivers in theAtlantic Coast Conference Thomas's statistics were much smaller. He said, "Sometimes I think about [not getting many passes], but most of the time I just want to win."[26] Thomas's mark was the best of any wide receiver from the school sinceCalvin Johnson had 1,202 yards in 2006.[30] In the 27–0 victory overDuke on October 4, he caught nine receptions for 230 yards, the second-most in a single game in school history.[15][31]
Thomas started his senior season strong with four receptions for 101 receiving yards in a 37–17 victory overJacksonville State.[32] In the third game, he had six receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown in the 33–17 loss toMiami.[33] On October 3, againstMississippi State, he had eight receptions for 174 yards and one touchdown in the 42–31 victory.[34] On November 28, in therivalry game againstGeorgia, he had five receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in the 30–24 loss.[35] Georgia Tech finished the regular season with a 10–2 record and qualified for theACC Championship Game againstClemson.[36] In the 39–34 victory, Thomas recorded a 70-yard receiving touchdown.[37] The Yellow Jackets qualified for theOrange Bowl. Thomas played in the game againstIowa but did not record any statistics in his final collegiate game.[38][39]
Overall in 2009, during his redshirt junior year at Georgia Tech, Thomas had a breakout season with 46 receptions for 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns. This earned him First-Team All-ACC honors.[40] He finished his collegiate career with 120 catches for a conference-leading 2,339 yards and 14 touchdowns.[41][42]
Many draft experts had him gaining momentum with NFL scouts going into the last couple weeks leading up to the draft and most had him as the number one or two-rated wide receiver along withDez Bryant in the 2010 NFL Draft, includingSporting News.[43] On January 8, 2010, he declared for the2010 NFL draft.[44]
Before the combine, Thomas broke his foot and was unable to participate in combine drills as a result.[47] Thomas scored second highest among wide receivers with 34 on theWonderlic test, second only to friend, fellow wide receiver, and future teammateEric Decker, who had the highest score in theCombine with 43.[48]
TheDenver Broncos selected Thomas in the first round (22nd overall) in the2010 NFL draft. He was the first wide receiver to be chosen that year.[49] On July 31, 2010, the Broncos signed him to a five-year, $12.155 million contract with $9.35 million guaranteed.[50]
Thomas in 2010
In his NFL debut, Thomas had eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos defeated theSeattle Seahawks by a score of 31–14. His first career touchdown reception came on a 21-yard reception from quarterbackKyle Orton.[51] Thomas was just the ninth player since 1970 to record at least eight catches in his first game.[52] Thomas had the second-most catches by a rookie in franchise history, trailing onlyEddie Royal, who had nine in a game against theOakland Raiders in 2008.[53] The highlight of Thomas' season came when he beatAll-Pro cornerbackDarrelle Revis for a 17-yard touchdown when the Broncos hosted theNew York Jets in a 24–20 loss in Week 6 on October 17.[54]
Thomas was plagued by injuries as a rookie. He first missed playing time due to a forearm injury and then aconcussion;[55] an ankle injury rendered him inactive for five more games late in the season.[56]
Thomas finished his rookie year with 22 receptions for 283 yards and two touchdowns.[57]
On February 10, 2011, it was announced that Thomas had torn hisachilles tendon while working out and was expected to miss a majority, if not the entirety, of the 2011 season.[58] However, he was surprisingly activated from the Physically Unable to Perform List prior to the start of the season. Broncos general managerBrian Xanders said that Demaryius had responded to rehab well and was "ready to go."[59] Unfortunately, during his first practice back, Thomas broke his left pinkie finger and missed the first five games of the season.[60]
Thomas made his season debut during Week 7 against theMiami Dolphins. He linked up with quarterbackTim Tebow on a five-yard reception for the Broncos' first score of the game. Denver went on to win by a score of 18–15 in overtime.[61] Despite this early promise, he only had four receptions for 76 yards in the next five games as the Broncos moved towards a run-heavy option offense.[62] Thomas broke his leg during Week 13 against theMinnesota Vikings. In that game, he recorded 144 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions.[63] Thomas ended the season strongly, emerging as Tebow's favorite receiver and setting a franchise record by leading the Broncos in both receiving and targets over the final seven games.[64]
In the first round of the playoffs, Thomas played very well in what became known as the3:16 game. On January 8, 2012, in theWild Card Round, Thomas caught the game-winning, 80-yard touchdown pass from Tebow on the opening play of overtime to beat thePittsburgh Steelers by a score of 29–23. The victory occurred in the first non-sudden death playoff game in NFL history. Prior to this game, if the first team scored a field goal, the game would have ended. The rule was changed to where only a safety or a touchdown would end the game before both teams could possess the ball.[65] However, the new rules were not applied as Thomas's touchdown still marked the end of the game. The entire play took 10 seconds, and is the fastest ending to an overtime in NFL history to date.[66][67] The touchdown was the longest playoff overtime score in NFL history.[68] Thomas ended with a stat-line of four receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown in his playoff debut. It marked the most receiving yards by a Bronco in playoff history and the second-highest receiving average (51.0) in a single game in NFL annals.[69][70] Thomas had six receptions for 93 yards the following week in theDivisional Round 45–10 loss to theNew England Patriots.[71]
Thomas finished his second professional season with 32 receptions for 551 yards and four touchdowns.[72]
Thomas was coming off surgery to remove pins in his left pinkie when quarterbackPeyton Manning signed with the Broncos during the 2012 offseason. This meant that, unlike fellow receiver Eric Decker, Thomas was unable to participate in workouts with Manning. However, Thomas made an effort to improve his route-running and quickly caught up.[73][74] Manning noted during training camp that Thomas' "size, strength and speed just allow you to do certain things with him that other players just can't do."[75]
Despite reports describing the connection between Thomas and Manning as "balky",[76] Thomas found success again in the Broncos' first game of the season against thePittsburgh Steelers. Down 13–7, Thomas, in a move reminiscent of his game-winning touchdown in the playoffs, burned the Steelers with a 71-yard catch-and-run.[77] The touchdown was notable because it was the first touchdown Manning had thrown in the NFL for a team other than theIndianapolis Colts, and it was also the 400th of Manning's career, making Manning just the third player in NFL history to reach that milestone.[78] Thomas finished the game with five receptions for 110 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.[79]
Thomas set regular-season career highs in both catches, with nine, and receiving yards, with 180, in the road loss to theNew England Patriots on October 7, 2012.[80] During Week 8 against theNew Orleans Saints, he had seven receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown in the 34–14 victory.[81] He tied his career high of nine catches in games against theCarolina Panthers in Week 10 and theCleveland Browns in Week 16.[82][83] Thomas registered three catches for 37 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' 2OTDivisional Round loss to theBaltimore Ravens in the playoffs.[84]
Thomas had a breakout year in 2012, recording 94 receptions for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns.[85] He led the team in targets, receptions, and yards, and ranked eighth in the league in receptions, fourth in yards, and seventh in touchdowns.[86] Thomas was selected to his firstPro Bowl in the 2012 season after receiverWes Welker withdrew due to injury.[87] He was ranked 68th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2013 list.[88]
Starting the season strong, Thomas had five receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 1 victory overBaltimore Ravens.[89] As he had done in Week 1 of the 2012 season, Thomas took a screen pass for a 78-yard touchdown. This wasquarterbackPeyton Manning's seventh touchdown pass of the game, which tied him with five other quarterbacks for the most in a single game in NFL history.[90] Thomas' 161 receiving yards were the second-most in franchise history for a season-opening game, trailing onlyShannon Sharpe's 180 in the Broncos' 1995 regular season opener.[91] He recorded his first multi-touchdown performance of the season with two against thePhiladelphia Eagles in the 52–20 victory in Week 4.[92] Thomas received AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career in the Broncos' Week 10 win over theSan Diego Chargers.[93] Thomas posted seven receptions for 108 yards and three touchdowns.[94] In the next game against theKansas City Chiefs, he had five receptions for 121 yards during the 27–17 victory.[95] During Week 16 against theHouston Texans, Thomas recorded eight receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown in the 37–13 victory.[96] In the regular season finale against theOakland Raiders, he caught six passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the 34–14 victory.[97]
Thomas total contributions to the Broncos' historic season on offense were significant.[98] He caught Manning's 55th touchdown, which set an NFL record for the most touchdowns thrown by a quarterback in a single season. Manning also broke the single season passing yardage mark on that same pass to Thomas.[99] His 633 yards after catch was second in the entire league.[100] Manning, who said that Thomas "got great speed and power and it's fun to watch once he gets it in his hands", attributed part of Thomas' success to "all the runs he had to practice at Georgia Tech".[93]
Recording 92 receptions for 1,430 yards and 14 touchdowns during the 2013 regular season, Thomas ranked ninth in the league for receptions, fourth in yards, and second in touchdowns.[101] He finished second in the NFL to Jimmy Graham in receiving touchdowns, but his 14 touchdowns led all wide receivers.[102] Thomas led the team in targets, receptions, and yards for the second consecutive year. He also led the team in receiving touchdowns.[103]
Thomas was again voted to the Pro Bowl in 2013.[104] He was selected to the Associated Press All-Pro team for the first time in his career.[105]
Thomas averaged 9.33 receptions and 102 yards per game during the 2013–14 playoffs, including theSuper Bowl. He also scored a touchdown in every playoff game. In theDivisional Round against the San Diego Chargers, Thomas recorded eight receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown in the 24–17 victory.[106] DuringheAFC Championship Game, against theNew England Patriots, he had seven receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown in the 26–16 victory.[107] Thomas set a then NFL record for most catches in a Super Bowl game by a player (James White broke the record inSuper Bowl LI with 14 catches), despite reportedly playing most of the game with a separated shoulder. InSuper Bowl XLVIII, Thomas had a then-Super Bowl record 13 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown, but the Broncos lost 43–8 to theSeattle Seahawks.[108][109] He was ranked #44bth his peers on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2014 list.[110]
Manning (left) throwing his record-breaking touchdown pass #509 to Demaryius Thomas (lower right), October 19, 2014Thomas in 2014
Thomas started the 2014 season quietly with 13 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown combined in the first three games, a 2–1 stretch for Broncos.[111] On October 5, 2014, against theArizona Cardinals, Thomas made eight receptions for 226 yards, breaking the franchise record for receiving yards in a single game held byShannon Sharpe, and two touchdowns, of which one went for a career-high 86 yards.[112] He earned his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor for his performance against the Cardinals.[113] Two weeks later against theSan Francisco 49ers, Thomas caughtPeyton Manning's all-time record-breaking 509th touchdown pass.[114] The historic touchdown reception was part of a day where Thomas had eight receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–17 victory.[115] During Week 9 against theNew England Patriots, he had seven receptions for 127 yards.[116] Two weeks later against theSt. Louis Rams, Thomas caught seven passes for 103 yards, extending his own franchise record for consecutive 100 yard games to seven, in the 22–7 loss.[117] Thomas finished second only to Pittsburgh'sAntonio Brown in receiving yards for the 2014 season, with a career-high 1,619 yards off a career-high 111 catches.[118][119] He was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl for the 2014 season.[120] Thomas was ranked 20th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2015 list.[121]
The Broncos finished with a 12–4 record and played against theIndianapolis Colts in theDivisional Round.[122] He had five receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown in the 24–13 loss.[123]
On March 3, 2015, the Broncos placed the franchise tag ($12.823 million) on Thomas. Reports indicated that the tag was non-exclusive, which meant that Thomas could negotiate with other teams, and the Broncos held the right to match any offer, or receive two first-round picks as compensation.[124]
On July 15, 2015, Thomas signed a five-year, $70 million contract extension with the Broncos, just hours before the deadline for franchise players. The deal was similar in structure toDez Bryant's contract extension with theDallas Cowboys. Bryant was also franchise tagged and signed just hours before Thomas. He was also drafted just two picks after Thomas, going 24th overall in the2010 NFL draft.[125] Between Peyton Manning struggling with aplantar fasciitis injury andBrock Osweiler never having a career start before the season, Thomas' production dropped, but he still had 105 receptions for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns.[126][127]
After a 60-yard performance in the 19–13 victory over theBaltimore Ravens in the season opener, Thomas recorded eight receptions for 116 yards in the 31–24Thursday Night Football victory over theKansas City Chiefs in Week 2.[128][129] During a Week 6 overtime victory over theCleveland Browns, he had 10 receptions for 111 yards.[130] He followed that up with eight receptions for 168 yards in the 29–10 victory over theGreen Bay Packers in Week 8.[131] Following a Week 10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, where Peyton Manning was benched for a stint in favor of Brock Osweiler, Thomas's production slightly dropped.[132] From Weeks 10 to 15, he averaged 61.8 yards per game but scored four receiving touchdowns in that stretch.[133] In a Week 15 loss to thePittsburgh Steelers, he recorded his only game of the 2015 season with two receiving touchdowns.[134] During the regular season finale, a 27–20 victory over theSan Diego Chargers, he had five receptions for 117 yards and a 72-yard touchdown from Osweiler on the second play from scrimmage. The game saw Manning return from the bench to help edge the Broncos to victory.[135]
Going into the 2016 season, the Broncos lost both quarterbacks that contributed to the team's Super Bowl run; Manning to retirement,[142] andBrock Osweiler to theHouston Texans.[143] Before the 2016 season started,Trevor Siemian was named the starter for the Broncos.[144]
Thomas recorded six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in a Week 3 29–17 victory over theCincinnati Bengals.[145] In the next two games, against theTampa Bay Buccaneers andAtlanta Falcons, he scored receiving touchdowns to make three consecutive games in which he recorded a score.[146][147] During Week 14 against theTennessee Titans, Thomas corded 10 receptions for 126 yards in the 13–10 road loss.[148]After his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season, Thomas was selected to the 2017 Pro Bowl.[149] He played in the game and recorded two receptions for 37 yards in the 20–13 victory for the AFC.[150] He finished the 2016 season with 90 receptions for 1,083 yards and five touchdowns.[151]
Going into the 2018 season, the Broncos had a new quarterback inCase Keenum.[158] In the first four games of the season, Thomas totaled 20 receptions for 168 receiving yards and a touchdown.[159] In Week 5, he had his best output of the season to that point with five receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown in a 34–16 loss to theNew York Jets.[160]
On October 30, 2018, the Broncos traded Thomas and a seventh round pick in the2019 NFL draft to theHouston Texans for a fourth and seventh round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.[161]
In his debut with the Texans, Thomas had three receptions for 61 yards in the narrow 19–17 road victory over the Broncos, his former team.[162] During Week 12 against theTennessee Titans, Thomas recorded four receptions for 38 yards and two touchdowns in the 34–17 victory.[163] During Week 16, Thomas was carted off the field in the second half of a 32–30 loss to thePhiladelphia Eagles with an apparent Achilles injury.[164] It was revealed that he suffered a torn Achilles and was placed on injured reserve on December 24, 2018.[165]
In the 2018 season, combined with his time with the Broncos and Texans, Thomas recorded 59 receptions for 677 yards and five touchdowns.[166]
On February 12, 2019, Thomas was released by the Texans.[167]
On April 16, 2019, Thomas signed a one-year contract with theNew England Patriots.[168] He was released during final roster cuts on August 31,[169] but was re-signed to a one-year contract three days later. However, Thomas never played a regular-season game for the team.[170]
On September 10, 2019, Thomas was traded to theNew York Jets in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the2021 NFL draft.[171] He made his Jets' debut in a Week 2 loss to theCleveland Browns.[172] He scored his first and only touchdown as a Jet on a 14-yard pass fromSam Darnold during a narrow 22–21 victory over theMiami Dolphins in Week 14.[173]
In the 2019 season, Thomas appeared in 11 games and recorded 36 receptions for 433 yards and a touchdown.[174]
Thomas was anevangelical Christian,[193] and he frequently posted about his faith on his Twitter account.[194] Thomas had a tattoo of a portrait of Jesus on his left arm bearing the phrase "Jesus Saves".
On July 15, 2016, Thomas was honored by the city council ofDublin, Georgia, which named the day as Demaryius Thomas Day.[11]
On December 9, 2021, Thomas was discovered unconscious at his residence inRoswell, Georgia. He was later pronounced dead at age 33. The cause of death was believed to be a seizure, secondary to injuries Thomas suffered from years of football and a 2019 car crash.[195][196] Police said that his death was attributed to a "medical issue".[197][198]
Thomas is considered to be among the greatest wide receivers in Broncos franchise history, having the second-most career receiving yards with the Broncos of all time.[201][202]
On the opening play of a game against theDetroit Lions on December 12, 2021, three days after Thomas' death, the Broncos commemorated him by lining up ten players instead of eleven and waiting for the clock to wind down. They received adelay of game penalty as a result, but Lions head coachDan Campbell declined the penalty as a gesture of solidarity.[203]
On May 27, 2025, the Broncos posthumously honored Thomas by announcing his induction into theirRing of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Thomas was officially inducted on October 19, 2025, during halftime of the Broncos' home game against theNew York Giants.[204] While shut out in the first three quarters, the Broncos would go on to score 33 points in the fourth quarter and defeat the Giants by a score of 33 to 32.[205]
^Cook, Lanie Lee (December 9, 2021)."Demaryius Thomas dead at 33".KDVR.com. Fox 31 Denver KDVR.Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. RetrievedDecember 9, 2021.
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