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![](\"https:\/\/sportshub.cbsistatic.com\/i\/2025\/05\/27\/4b9b4a2e-8c26-4839-8272-d3b725fae4a6\/demaryiusthomas.jpg\")
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The Denver Broncos<\/a> will honor the contributions of former Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas<\/a> 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<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thomas, who died unexpectedly in December 2021<\/a><\/span>, left a lasting impact on the Broncos franchise. A five-time Pro Bowler, Thomas was a key member of Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl<\/a> team. Four years earlier, Thomas delivered one of the most iconic plays in recent\u00a0NFL<\/a> 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\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n “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<\/a>. “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<\/a> 50 teammates during an unforgettable Alumni Weekend.”<\/p>\n Thomas, who spent all but one of his 10 NFL<\/a> 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<\/a> in 2014). Thomas’ five seasons with at least 1,000 yards is second in franchise history.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thomas also made his mark in\u00a0Super Bowl<\/a>\u00a0XLVIII, 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<\/a>. Thomas caught the Broncos’ only touchdown that night, a 14-yard strike that was thrown by Peyton Manning<\/a>, who\u00a0started a scholarship in Thomas’ memory<\/a>\u00a0in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n