The NFL community was rocked last week by the news of the sudden death of former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. The 10-year veteran, who announced his retirement from the NFL in June, would have turned 34 on Christmas.
Preliminary reports, according to police, suggested Thomas' death might have resulted from a medical issue.
Not long after the news broke, heartfelt tributes started pouring in from Thomas' teammates, coaches and fans alike.
Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning -- who connected with Thomas for his NFL all-time record-breaking 509th touchdown pass -- released a statement early Friday morning that read: "DT was a better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player. That tells you how good of a person he was. He treated my kids like they were his own. He was there for every teammate's charity event. ... Absolutely devastated."
On Sunday, the Broncos, who selected Thomas in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, paid tribute to the beloved Denver icon in a multitude of ways.
His No. 88 could be found in virtually every corner of the stadium, a moment of silence was observed and a video tribute played on all of the screens just before kickoff. Then the Broncos lined up for the game's first play from scrimmage with 10 players in the formation.
To cap off the emotional day, the Broncos put an exclamation point on a 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions with a final, 14-play touchdown drive that went 88 yards.
On Monday night, ahead of the Los Angeles Rams' showdown with the Arizona Cardinals, former Denver standout and current Rams linebacker Von Miller took to Instagram to show a decal on his helmet honoring his former teammate with the caption "88 4 L ETERNAL."
Thomas and Miller spent nine years together with the Broncos, including winning Super Bowl 50.
Two members of the opposing Cardinals offense, wideout DeAndre Hopkins and kicker Matt Prater, also adorned their helmets with a similar decal to honor their former teammate.
Respect. 🧡 https://t.co/XFc5XRaAxW
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 13, 2021
Hopkins played with Thomas on the Houston Texans, and Prater played with him in Denver.
Thomas also played one season with the New York Jets.