Broncos negotiating contract with DE Malik Jackson
The Denver Broncos are reportedly negotiating a new contract with DE Malik Jackson as free agency is less than a month away…
The Denver Broncos are the Super Bowl champions, and as the offseason approaches, they are working toward signing one of their best defensive players to a long-term deal.
Per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, the team is ‘earnestly’ negotiating with Jackson, though a deal is not imminent for a number of reasons. Still, this news is incredibly exciting.
Jackson, who was a fifth round selection in the Broncos’ stellar 2012 draft class out of USC, has become a superstar interior/edge defender at the NFL level despite the fact that most were very uncertain about his NFL prospects coming out. His stardom isn’t reflected necessarily in the number of sacks he notches annually, unlike Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, but his presence is felt nonetheless on a play-by-play basis.
The Broncos have recognized the kind of special player Jackson is, and John Elway and his team in the front office are working to lock up their stud defensive end long-term before he has a chance to test the open market.
Denver is going to have to pay top dollar for Jackson. Teams around the league have plenty of money to spend, and there will be a high demand for Jackson’s services. He will essentially have his pick of free agent destination, including the possibility of reuniting with Jack Del Rio in Oakland or John Fox in Chicago…
Yuck.
The Broncos don’t want to lose one of their best players, so they have made him their top priority this offseason with the thought that one way or another, they are going to keep Von Miller around with the franchise tag and try to work out a long-term deal to make him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL sooner rather than later.
With Miller likely to receive the franchise tag and Derek Wolfe already under contract long-term, the Broncos are trying to find a way to keep Malik Jackson around so they can shift their focus to Brock Osweiler, who is likely to receive — at worst — a multi-year contract offer from the Broncos as well.