Broncos give RB C.J. Anderson lowest possible RFA Tender
The Denver Broncos have given RB C.J. Anderson the lowest possible RFA tender, valued at around $1.7 million in 2016.
C.J. Anderson was undrafted out of Cal in 2013. He was like the 17th in line to take over as the Broncos’ starting RB position in 2014 when they struggled through injuries and inconsistency.
After coming on strong in the final half of the 2014 season and making a Pro Bowl, Anderson stumbled off to a slow start in 2015 before providing the Broncos with some huge moments over the course of the season, including their lone offensive touchdown in Super Bowl 50 and the final nail in the coffin over the Carolina Panthers.
And now he is going to hit the free agent market with a very low offer in hand from the Broncos. The Broncos will have the opportunity to match any offer Anderson receives on the open market, but his RFA tender of around $1.671 million is the lowest the Broncos could offer and they won’t receive compensation should he get an offer elsewhere and they choose not to match it.
Yikes.
I mean, it’s not a slap in the face to Anderson — that pay grade is a nice raise over what he’s averaged so far in his NFL career — but it’s also not a great vote of confidence either. The Broncos are clearly allowing Anderson the opportunity to shop his services around, and there could be suitors.
Adam Gase, the former offensive coordinator who saw Anderson have his greatest success in 2014, is now the head coach in Miami and they have a situation at RB where Lamar Miller is set to be a pricey free agent and perhaps one of the most desirable offensive players on the market.
Anderson took to Twitter upon receiving the news. He doesn’t seem overly impressed.
Wow welp I've been here b4 jus keep grinding keep working 2 be the best 32-254-22
— Cj Anderson (@cjandersonb22) March 7, 2016
God forbid Anderson would end up on a team like New England, where he could be used really well also. There could be a number of suitors for him at this low tender, no draft pick compensation price. I think this is an interesting move by the Broncos, but one they obviously feel comfortable making.
The dominoes have started falling, and I’m going to be interested to see what whopping number of new players are playing for the Broncos in 2016.