Denver Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson will play a huge role in a possible Super Bowl championship, but it may be his last hoo-rah with the Broncos…
It’s a sobering reality, but we may as well talk about it now rather than later. Denver Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson has been one of the most versatile defensive linemen in the league, and he may be pricing himself out of the range of John Elway and the team that drafted him.
And that’s okay.
Things happen in the NFL that are beyond the control of both player and team, and someone is going to pay Malik Jackson a lot of money this offseason.
It just may not be t he Denver Broncos…
Jackson wants to remain in Denver, but unlike Derek Wolfe and Chris Harris Jr. before him, the Broncos might have to pay full price to keep him around. He says he hasn’t pushed his impending free agency out of his mind despite what’s at stake on Sunday…
“I think I embrace it,” Jackson said. “It’s one of those things that you know what it is. You have to go out there and be the best player you can because it’s the one chance you have to go out there and do something big for your family and the rest of your life. So for me, I just embrace it, I embrace the challenges every week, I embrace the chance to go out there and a chance to show John Elway that I like it here and that’s why I try to go out there and have good games.”
Jackson knows and understands the business of the NFL, and talked about how it’s cool to have other coaches that have been in Denver now around the league who would vouch for their interest in the former fifth round pick. Still, Jackson became a star while he was wearing orange, and he hopes he can continue to make plays with the Broncos if the price is right.
“I can make myself a lot more money if I go out there and do what I know how to do and do what I’ve been doing, I can definitely boost myself up. But it’s all about just what I want to do and where I want to be and I love it here, so hopefully we can work something out.”
All of Broncos Country will be holding its breath this offseason as players come and go, but Jackson is one that the team should do whatever it has to to keep around. There will be some cuts, re-structures, and moves made to keep the core of this team in-tact, the group of players that has helped bring the Broncos to the place they are now, which is in position to win the franchise’s third Super Bowl.