Jan 13, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway speaks to the media at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Free agency is right around the corner, and the Denver Broncos are looking to make a splash once again and use the new salary cap to make another Super Bowl run.
The NFL announced to all the teams today that the salary cap will be increased by ten million dollars to $143.28 dollars for the 2015 offseason. The new league year begins on March 10th at 4 PM EST. And like it was stated earlier today, the Broncos have about an extra six million from last seasons spending’s. This puts the Broncos at around $150 million in the salary cap. However, the Denver Broncos have most of that committed to players on the roster already, so the number is lower towards additional moves. What will John Elway and company do with this salary cap? Should they spend big in free agency?
I believe what the Broncos should do is figure out how to draw attention to some of the free agents from other teams. When Peyton Manning announces his return, that could draw some players to Denver without any doubt. His restructured contract could also free up more salary cap space for the team. But keep in mind that Manning has probably a year, if luckily two, left in him. That could become a factor when it comes to the free agent signings, but John Elway is probably going to look forward to building for the future.
With that said, it would not surprise me at all if they decide to sign players to help out the next quarterback after Peyton Manning. It remains to be seen if Brock Osweiler is that quarterback for the job, but I think he has made a case that he can do a good job in the Broncos offense, especially if Gary Kubiak goes with the running attack as the main focus for the offense.
In my perfect world, it would be ideal to get all the free agent and draft players out of the way. This way the Broncos have extra salary cap space for when it come to terms with Demaryius Thomas on a longer deal. He was franchise tagged on Monday because the two teams could not agree to a longer term deal in time. If the Broncos end up having any money left over after the signings, they should use whatever is left to get a deal done for Demaryius Thomas. This is however, assuming the Broncos do not have any other plans for him as far as trading him, but that seems unlikely.
Free agency can be either the best of times or the worst of times for fans and players. But rest assured, it is going to bring all kinds of emotions for all the parties involved in the next few weeks. But the additional ten million in salary cap space, plus an extra six million from last year could be the deciding factor on the players the Broncos want to bring in.
Can’t wait to see what surprises the Broncos have in store this offseason.