The Denver Broncos will honor the contributions of former Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas during the 2025 season. The team announced Tuesday that Thomas will be posthumously inducted into its Ring of Fame during halftime of the Week 7 matchup against the New York Giants.
Thomas, who died unexpectedly in December 2021, left a lasting impact on the Broncos franchise. A five-time Pro Bowler, Thomas was a key member of Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl team. Four years earlier, Thomas delivered one of the most iconic plays in recent NFL history when he caught an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime to lift the Broncos to a wild-card playoff upset win over the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
“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,” team 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, who spent all but one of his 10 NFL seasons in Denver, ranks second in franchise history in receiving yards (9,055) and touchdown receptions (60) and is third in receptions (665). Thomas owns the franchise single-season receiving yardage record (1,619 in 2014) as well as the single-game receiving yardage record (226 vs. the Cardinals in 2014). Thomas’ five seasons with at least 1,000 yards is second in franchise history.
Thomas also made his mark in Super Bowl XLVIII, albeit in a losing effort. His 13 receptions that night stood as the single-game Super Bowl record before it was broken three years later by then-Patriots running back James White. Thomas caught the Broncos’ only touchdown that night, a 14-yard strike that was thrown by Peyton Manning, who started a scholarship in Thomas’ memory in 2022.
“It’s not really on the field, a touchdown pass or one of his great catches,” Manning said of his memories of Thomas in a 2023 interview. “It’s kind of the great moments in the locker room after the game. He always wanted to talk to my wife, Ashley, and pick up my kids. I have a great picture of Demaryius pushing my son, Marshall, around in the Super Bowl locker room in the laundry bucket, so [it’s] more off-the-field moments. But it’s just fitting because Demaryius was always paying it forward. He never forgot where he came from. Never forgot how much he had to overcome. And so I wanted to keep his legacy alive. Not necessarily his football legacy — more of his giving back legacy. And I think this is a great way to do it.”
While Manning is helping keep Thomas’ off-field legacy alive, the Broncos will help immortalize Thomas’ football legacy by making him the 38th member of the franchise’s Ring of Fame.
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