Denver Broncos primed for plenty of cap space in 2017

The Denver Broncos are primed for the 11th most cap space in the NFL next offseason, prior to any cap increase or cap casualties…

Want to win Super Bowls in today’s NFL? Don’t put yourself in impossible situations against the salary cap. The Denver Broncos have stuck to a plan that has been called ‘cheap’ by some and John Elway certainly has his detractors, but there’s a reason this is the team that has most recently hoisted the Lombardi trophy.

There’s a reason this team has won five straight AFC West titles, two of the last three AFC Championship games, and boasted an NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP on both sides of the football. The reason is because Elway is the best at his job in this league, whether or not anyone has the ability to admit it.

People still want to whine about the C.J. Anderson contract, even though he’s making $4.5 million annually over the course of the deal, the 11th highest among running backs in the NFL.

If that’s Elway’s biggest screw-up as a general manager, I think we’ll all take it.

The Broncos somehow managed to get a potential Pro Bowl left tackle in Russell Okung for no guaranteed money, and people criticized Elway for being cheap. Then he handed Von Miller the largest contract for a defensive player in NFL history and was criticized for putting the team in a bad situation financially.

I guess that’s just the nature of the football fan.

The reality? The Broncos are in a great spot. They are over $6 million under the cap still this year, and rank 11th in the NFL in projected cap space for the 2017 offseason.

The Broncos are armed with the 11th most cap space in the NFL, and that’s before any cap casualties or overall salary cap increases by the NFL.

So many fans, analysts, and media of the NFL that grew up on the game in the 80s and 90s learned to hate John Elway, much like many either love or hate LeBron James. Because of that, it’s hard for many to admit that Elway is the best GM in the NFL today.

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Elway has manipulated the cap, just like he used to manipulate defenses. He’s put together a phenomenal roster, getting critical deals done in the nick of time just like he used to pull the rug out from underneath opposing teams late in games with his clutch play.

Not only have the Broncos locked up the core of their team for the foreseeable future, they have flexibility to make moves and still be aggressive on the open market when they want to be. They have the ability to re-sign more key players.

They’re primed for plenty of cap space next offseason, but the national media won’t want you to know that when they could talk about how Elway played his hand wrong with Von Miller and C.J. Anderson, and how he offended Brock Osweiler.

If given the option of the alternative, I’d definitely pass.