Peyton Manning issues heartfelt tribute to Demaryius Thomas

The Indianapolis Colts and the great NFL world as a whole were shaken by the sudden passing of former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas at the age of 33. Thomas was one of the key weapons Peyton Manning had at his disposal after he left Indy.

After some iffy numbers in his first two seasons, Thomas exploded when Manning came to town. In the four years in which he played alongside Manning, Thomas recorded at least 92 catches and 1,300 yards in all of them. He caught 10 or more touchdown passes three straight times.

While tributes for Thomas came flying in from all over social media, many were waiting on what Manning was going to say about his former teammate, as Thomas had more success with No. 18 throwing the ball than anyone else.

Manning said that Thomas was a “better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player.” Manning claimed he was “absolutely devastated” at Thomas’ passing, as the two were talking as recently as Tuesday about an audible that led to a touchdown in Arizona.

Colts: Peyton Manning was impacted by the passing of Demaryius Thomas.

The only players to catch more touchdown passes from Manning in their careers are Colts legends Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark. Thomas was also the player who caught Manning’s 509th touchdown pass, which was good enough to pass Brett Favre and become the all-time leader in that category.

Thomas had an ultra-productive 10-year career that also featured stints with the Texans and Jets. Thomas has four Pro Bowls, two Second-Team All-Pro nods, and a Super Bowl ring to his name. Thomas’ career ended with 724 catches, 9,763 yards, and 63 touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who came out of a triple-option offense at Georgia Tech.

Thomas had officially announced his retirement from the game a few months ago while looking to begin the next stage of his career. Fans of a certain age may have fallen in love with football while watching Manning lead some historic Denver offenses, and Thomas’ speed and size were two of the main reasons the passing game was that effective.

The NFL has lost two of the best receivers from the earlier part of the last decade, as former Buccaneers and Chargers star Vincent Jackson passed away in February at 38. Our most sincere condolences go out to the Thomas family, Manning, the Broncos, and anyone in the NFL impacted by Thomas’ presence.

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