The Facts: The Jaguars are set to keep Thomas into Year 3 of his five-year contract. Thomas's five-year, $46 million contract contains a provision that $3 million of his 2017 base salary became guaranteed if he was still on the roster on the fifth day after the Super Bowl. That day has passed with Thomas still on the roster, so he's getting the guaranteed money.
Diehards Line:
As PFT noted, there was some talk that the Jaguars could release Thomas this week to avoid that guarantee. But by guaranteeing the $3 million, the Jaguars have virtually guaranteed that he’ll be on the roster and earn his whole $7 million salary in 2017. As PFT's Michael David Smith put it, "You don’t guarantee a guy $3 million if you’re not sure he’s going to be on your roster. ..." Smith went on to suggest the job now is get Thomas looking more like the player they signed away from the Broncos, and less like the player of the last two seasons.