The Denver Broncos are honoring a beloved hero who helped bring a title to the Mile High City.
Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas has been elected to the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame, the team announced on Tuesday. The Super Bowl 50 champion was chosen in his first year of eligibility and becomes the 38th member of the venerated group of Broncos greats.
"Demaryius Thomas' election to the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame -- in his first year of eligibility -- is a testament to the indelible mark he left on our organization and community," Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner said in a statement. "One of the most beloved players and greatest wide receivers in franchise history, Demaryius inspired our fans with breathtaking athleticism, record-setting performances and a joyful, infectious spirit. While we wish 'D.T.' was with us to celebrate this special moment, we look forward to honoring Demaryius alongside his Super Bowl 50 teammates during an unforgettable Alumni Weekend."
Thomas died in late 2021, less than a year after he retired from the NFL following 10 seasons. He will be posthumously inducted during halftime of Denver's Week 7 game against the New York Giants on Oct. 19, which will also feature a 10th anniversary celebration of the Broncos' Super Bowl 50-winning squad.
A first-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2010, Thomas rose to fame in his third NFL season, catching 94 passes for his first 1,000-yard season and finishing with 1,434 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. That campaign kicked off a five-year run in which he broke 1,000 receiving yards annually and played a key role in the explosive Peyton Manning-led Broncos offense, which propelled the Broncos to two AFC titles (2013, 2015) and a Super Bowl triumph over the Carolina Panthers.
Of his 10 NFL seasons, Thomas spent seven full years with the Broncos and left only after Denver traded him to Houston midway through 2018. He finished with stints for the Houston Texans and New York Jets in 2018 and 2019, then officially retired with 724 receptions, 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns.
Denver will make Thomas' deserved place in Broncos franchise immortality official in October.
