Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Demaryius Thomas announces retirement from NFL after 10 seasons

After not playing at all last season, former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has made it official that he won't return to the football field.

Thomas announced his retirement from the NFL via the Broncos website on Monday, acknowledging that it isn't easy to give up football. 

"Mainly it's like for the last year or so or whatever it's been, it's just been trying to find myself," Thomas told DenverBroncos.com. "Of course you know leaving ball, it's a tough thing. It's a tough thing to get away from because guys be trying to find that urge [of what] to do next, and it's nothing like ball that you could do next. So I've just been working on myself and trying to find myself."

Thomas spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Broncos, earning four Pro Bowl selections and winning a Super Bowl in 2016. He then played half of the 2018 season for the Houston Texans and spent the 2019 campaign with the New York Jets. 

The 33-year-old caught 724 passes for 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns during his career, with most of that production coming in the four seasons he played with Peyton Manning. 

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