With Super Bowl 49 now in the books, all eyes are on the offseason and the road to Super Bowl 50 for the Denver Broncos and all 32 NFL teams. While the Patriots take some time to celebrate, the rest of the league is making preparations for next season and getting ready for a chance to dethrone them.
The Broncos are one AFC team that poses arguably the biggest threat to taking the crown away from the Patriots, and with Peyton Manning expected to return for an 18th season in the NFL, this will once again be one of the most feared rosters in the league.
Still, the Broncos have plenty of question marks, specifically along the offensive line and with a lot of free agents set to hit the open market. Here is a current list of Broncos free agents entering the offseason.
More from Predominantly Orange
- Broncos chances of landing Sean Payton dwindling, but not gone
- Denver Broncos dream coaching staff for DeMeco Ryans
- Denver Broncos: “Sleeper” David Shaw checks every box
- The Broncos’ coaching search likely has not gone to plan
- Special Chiefs Suck Offer: Bet $5, Win $150 if Joe Burrow Passes for ONE YARD vs KC
Unrestricted:
Demaryius Thomas, WR
Wes Welker, WR
Jacob Tamme, TE
Terrance Knighton, DT
Rahim Moore, S
Orlando Franklin, OL
Nate Irving, LB
Quinton Carter, S
Virgil Green, TE
Julius Thomas, TE
Will Montgomery, C
Mitch Unrein, DT
Restricted:
Tony Carter, CB
Brandon Marshall, LB
Steven Johnson, LB
Aaron Brewer, LS
Paul Cornick,OT
—
The Broncos have some significant decisions to make, but with the salary cap expected to increase to roughly $140 million or more, they should be sitting really nice in terms of their cap space. Right now, the Broncos are projected at around $27 million with which to work, prior to making any adjustments to contracts or veteran cuts.
We won’t speculate just yet as to which players could be ousted or restructured, but the Broncos are in pretty good shape as it currently stands. They figure to take a significant blow to their cap when they re-sign or franchise tag Demaryius Thomas, who has been with the team since 2010 as a former first round draft pick.
Thomas will be worth a lot of money this offseason, but hopefully the Broncos can convince him to take a page out of Chris Harris Jr.’s book and take a little bit of a home town discount. Nothing too extreme, of course — DT has earned his paycheck.
There will be a ton of activity from Dove Valley this offseason, to be certain.