2015 Broncos minicamp: Will Demaryius Thomas report?

According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS Denver, Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is unlikely to show up to the team's mandatory three-day minicamp.

How important is offseason work? Demaryius Thomas not expected to show at Broncos minicamp http://t.co/3RWSYtAQxz via @9News #9News #9Sports

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) June 8, 2015

Thomas has already been a no-show through the team's conditioning program and organized team workouts this offseason.

The Broncos placed the Franchise Tag on Thomas earlier this offseason, but he is holding out in hopes of signing a long-term deal with the Broncos. He and the Broncos have until July 15th to work out a multi-year deal. If the two sides do not agree to a long-term deal before then, Thomas's only option will be to sign his Franchise Tag tender or continue his hold out.

Why This Makes Sense:

It's common for players who have been Franchise Tagged to skip a portion of the team's offseason program in hopes of he and the team agreeing to a multi-year deal. They do this to try to gain leverage in the contract negotiations and to avoid suffering a serious injury during these workouts.

Also, these workouts are mandatory for players under contract. Since Thomas has yet to sign his Franchise Tag tender, he is not currently under contract with the Broncos. This means that Thomas can skip these practices without being fined by the Broncos.

Why This Doesn't Make Sense:

By holding out of these practices, Thomas is missing out on some valuable learning time to learn Head Coach Gary Kubiak's offensive playbook. When Thomas does finally return to the Broncos, he will have to try to learn the new offense on the fly.

So Thomas being away from the Broncos could ultimately end up hurting him, and the Broncos in the long run.

Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway shared a similar opinion back in April when he said Thomas skipping these practices made "zero sense" to him.

"To be dead honest with you, I see absolutely zero value with him being away from here. Him being away from here there is zero value not only to us, but to him. To me it makes no sense.’"

Another reason why this doesn't make sense is the risk of injury away from the practice facility. Thomas is training on his own this offseason to stay in shape. If for whatever reason he suffered a serious injury while he is away from the team he is not covered. If he were to get hurt while practicing at the team facility he would be covered.

So when John Elway was asked if Thomas was holding out to avoid injury, he once again said that made "no sense" to him.

"That makes no sense to me, him not getting hurt," Elway said. "If he gets hurt here, he's covered. If he gets hurt on his own... I don't understand it all. It makes no sense for him."

Likelihood Of This Happening:

I'd say there's about a 99% that Thomas skips these mandatory minicamp practices.

I would be shocked to see Thomas practicing with the Broncos tomorrow. The only way I see him showing up is if he and the Broncos are close or have agreed to a new long-term deal. Since he's not under contract, he is not obligated to show up, and the Broncos cannot fine him for skipping.

The date to circle on your calendar is July 15th. That's the deadline for he and the Broncos to work out a multi-year contract extension.

I believe the two sides will come to an agreement on the days leading up to the 15th, and we will see Thomas practicing with the Broncos during Training Camp.