The dialogue surrounding Demaryius Thomas hints at his future with the trade deadline approaching

The end of one of the greatest current, and most successful, eras in Denver Broncos history could quickly be coming to an end.

Demaryius Thomas, the longest-tenured Bronco currently on the roster, has been linked to multiple trade reports and rumors over the past week and with Tuesday’s 2:00 p.m. MDT trade deadline looming, the dialogue out of the Broncos’ locker room suggests No. 88 could very well be on the move.

Following the team’s 30-23 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, in which Denver dropped to 3-5 on the season, Thomas put the chances of him being traded at “50-50.”

“I won’t say either will be bad,” the nine-year vet said following the game when presented with the idea that he could be on another team in a matter of days. “I’ll be on a squad. I’ll be able to play ball. I’ll be able to do what I love. If it’s the Broncos, I would love it. But if it’s not, it’s a business. I got to deal with it.”

Reports of a Thomas trade first surfaced after the Broncos’ Week 7 win over the Arizona Cardinals. After Sunday’s win, head coach Vance Joseph once again denied knowledge that Denver was shopping the veteran receiver.

“I have not been told that,” Joseph said “D.T. had a good week of work. He played hard today. He is all in with us. I have not heard that.”

The 30-year-old receiver has not been told anything from the organization and only learned about the news through his agent.

“I think it should have never got out, to tell you the truth,” the calm veteran said. “I would never be thinking about it if it never got out. No one would be talking about it.”

Despite being committed to the Broncos, Thomas voiced his displeasure with how the situation is being handled.

“It was frustrating. It was frustrating,” Thomas said, clearly bothered by the situation. “It bothered me throughout the whole week. It’s just tough to even think about it midseason. Just to think about being on another squad after being here nine years. It was tough.”

With a $17.53 million cap hit scheduled for 2019 and rookie Courtland Sutton showing flashes of excellence — leading the team in receiving yards against the Chiefs including a contested 42-yard catch before halftime — the Broncos are hoping to get something in return for the five-time Pro Bowler by trading him now as opposed to releasing him after the season.

One team that has “discussed” trading for Thomas is the New England Patriots. Josh McDaniels, New England’s offensive coordinator, drafted Thomas in the first round in 2010 when he was the Broncos’ head coach.

“I haven’t even really thought about it. I haven’t really thought about it,” Thomas said when asked how it feels that Sunday could have been his last game as a Bronco. “I came in trying to get a win here, as a team, as a group, trying to do my best that I can do. That was it. Haven’t really thought about it.”

Meanwhile, his teammates had nothing but the highest regards for their current fellow teammate.

“He’s a pro’s pro,” Von Miller said. “He knows the game and he knows the business side of the NFL. This is my first time hearing it. Otherwise, D.T. has been a pro’s pro.”

Broncos’ quarterback Case Keenum spoke so highly of Thomas, it was almost as if he was reminiscing on the great Bronco.

“D.T. is the best,” Keenum quickly stated. “He is a pro. I absolutely love being around him. I love being his teammate. I am honored to be his teammate. He has to be the best Bronco wide receiver in history, right? Debatable? It is a pleasure to be around him and I am glad that I am his teammate.”

Thomas not only is the Broncos’ second-leading receiver on the season in targets (56), receptions (36) and yards (402), he’s the second-leading receiver in Broncos’ history in targets (1,095), yards (9,055) and touchdowns (60), only training the great Rod Smith.

“I guess they don’t want me to break [the records],” Thomas said with a laugh, lightening the otherwise down mood.

Trades in the NFL aren’t commonplace, but with Sunday’s loss, Thomas’ name has only picked up steam on the trade market.

“I’ll sleep fine. At the end of the day, I’m going to have a job,” Thomas said, trying to make peace with the situation. “End of the day, I’ll have a job.”