Report: Broncos will place franchise tag on Demaryius Thomas

The Denver Broncos will place the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the Denver Post's Mike Klis reports. Teams have until 4 p.m.

The Denver Broncos will place the non-exclusive franchise tag on wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the Denver Post's Mike Klis reports. 

Teams have until 4 p.m. Monday to designate a franchise player. If the Broncos do tag Thomas, he would be given a one-year contract with a guaranteed salary equal to the average of the top five wide receiver salaries. The non-exclusive tag means other teams can negotiate a contract with Thomas but the Broncos would have the right to match any deal.

Thomas and the Broncos had been negotiating a long-term contract before he was reportedly tagged. He had said in December that he would be willing to take less than his open-market value to re-sign in Denver. He said on SI Now in January that he would "love to be a Bronco" but that the future was still unclear.

• Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas atop free-agent receiver class

Thomas was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft and has spent all five of his NFL seasons with the Broncos. He has 351 receptions for 5,317 yards and 41 touchdowns in his career.

Thomas has started every game for the Broncos since Peyton Manning arrived in 2012 and averaged 1,494 yards per season in that period. Last season, he finished with 111 catches for 1,619 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

- Jack Jorgensen