The Washington Football Team has agreed to terms on a three-year extension for tight end Logan Thomas, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. In two days, Washington has ensured both Thomas and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen will remain with the team for the foreseeable future as they look to build a contender in the NFC East.
This deal is reported to be worth $24 million over three years with $10.3 million in guarantees, making Thomas the seventh-highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
Related: Washington Football Team, DI Jonathan Allen agree to a 4-year, $72 million extension via PFF.com
Thomas is one of the more successful recent examples of a college quarterback transitioning to another position in the NFL. The former Virginia Tech quarterback drew his first tight end snaps with the Buffalo Bills in 2017 after being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He only caught 35 passes combined across the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons in a limited role with Buffalo and the Detroit Lions, but Thomas’ breakthrough finally came with Washington last season.
Opportunity was not an issue for Thomas. He was the only tight end in the NFL to play over 1,000 offensive snaps during the 2020 regular season, and he joined Darren Waller, Travis Kelce and Evan Engram as one of just four tight ends in the league to see at least 100 targets. The result was a career-high 72 receptions, 670 receiving yards and six touchdowns. PFF’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric had him as the fourth-most valuable tight end in the league over the course of the season, behind only Kelce, Waller and Mike Gesicki.
It remains to be seen how the additions that Washington made to the receiving corps and the change at quarterback will affect Thomas’ production next season. Thomas lined up in the slot on 56% of his offensive snaps in 2020, but additions such as Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown and Adam Humphries figure to push for some of those snaps in 2021. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is also more likely to push the ball downfield to his wide receivers than Alex Smith was.
The timing of this deal makes sense for Thomas, who is coming off a career year and recently turned 30 years old. Washington’s next big task in the receiving corps will be to extend star wideout Terry McLaurin, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
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