Jan. 18 (UPI) — A man once fabled as ‘Orange Julius’ for his touchdown catching skills from Peyton Manning, could test out free agency in 2017.
ESPN’s Mike DiRocco reported that he doesn’t see Julius Thomas returning to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“The Jaguars will not bring tight end Julius Thomas back,” DiRocco wrote.
Thomas, 28, signed a five-year, $46 million deal with the team 2015. That deal includes $24 million guaranteed. Thomas has played just 21 games in the last two seasons because of a myriad of injuries.
“Jacksonville didn’t miss him when he was out of the lineup for the final four games. He also has the fourth-highest cap figure [$8.3 million] in 2017,” DiRocco wrote.
Thomas has 736 yards and nine touchdowns on 76 receptions in two seasons with the Jaguars. He was a Pro Bowl selection in his final two years with the Denver Broncos, hauling in 1,277 yards and 24 touchdowns on 108 receptions. He started 24 games in that timeframe.
Gene Frenette, of the Florida Times-Union, speculated on Monday that the Jaguars’ new executive vice president of football operations, Tom Coughlin, is “not afraid of shakeup.”
“And it’s not just the quarterback where the Jaguars’ offense needs a makeover,” Frenette wrote. “Can you name one offensive lineman not named Brandon Linder who should feel comfortable about being a starter in 2017? Or, for that matter, tight end Julius Thomas?”
The tight end ended up on injured reserve on Dec. 10 as a result of a fractured tailbone.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.