Russell Okung’s contract option to be declined by Denver Broncos

According to multiple reports, the Denver Broncos will declined the four-year contract option for left tackle Russell Okung, making him a free agent…

According to multiple reports from local and national outlets, the Denver Broncos have informed offensive tackle Russell Okung of their intent to decline his contract option.

This is not a shocking move by any means, but it’s a big domino to fall for the rest of the offseason for the Broncos. No one expected the team to keep Okung at an average of $12 million per season on a four-year, $48 million deal that would have kicked in if the Broncos accepted a $1 million roster bonus by March 8th.

That said, the Broncos also have a huge hole to fill at left tackle and they are trying to find someone who can not only be an upgrade, but also come at a cheaper rate than $12 million this season.

While that sounds good on paper, it’s not going to be that easy.

The best left tackle on the market is Andrew Whitworth, and we have talked at length about adding him as a priority in free agency, but part of the allure of adding Whitworth was that in his older age, he might come at a discounted price.

That probably won’t be the case. The Bengals will likely make an aggressive offer to keep Whitworth, and he’s going to need an offer he can’t refuse to leave Cincinnati. He wants to play for a contender, though, and the Broncos are always selling that.

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The draft doesn’t have many appealing options at left tackle, at least from an experience standpoint. All of Ryan Ramczyk, Garett Bolles, and Cam Robinson have upside, but all have major question marks attached. Bolles is my preferred at this point, but any of the three I think would be an eventual starter at left tackle in the NFL.

With the lack of ideal options in both free agency and the draft, letting Okung walk was a tough but obviously very calculated decision for the Broncos. They know the market, and they know who is going to end up being available.

The best option for the Broncos, honestly, may be to trade for a left tackle like Joe Thomas or Joe Staley, or just take a shot on a guy who can play right or left tackle like Riley Reiff and draft someone to play the opposite side.

John Elway is going to have to be creative here, but the good news for Broncos fans is, he’s one of the best in the NFL at doing just that.