Denver Broncos 2018 salary cap situation, possible cap casualties
The Denver Broncos have some interesting tasks ahead of them this offseason. Here’s a look at their 2018 salary cap situation, and possible cap casualties…
The Denver Broncos aren’t making the playoffs in 2017, so we have the opportunity to look ahead to the offseason and get started on some speculating, which is always a lot of fun.
Specifically, we’re going to take a look at the 2018 salary cap, how the Broncos are affected, and what moves they could potentially make to get even further under the cap than they already are.
First, we’ll take a look at where the salary cap is right now, and what players the Broncos will have coming off the books as 2018 unrestricted and restricted free agents.
2017 salary cap: $167,000,000
Broncos current cap space: $11,467,315
Broncos current dead money: $5,431,739
Initial reaction
The Denver Broncos clearly went into the 2017 offseason with big plans, as they were reportedly among the two finalists for big money defensive lineman Calais Campbell and they were interested in quarterback Tony Romo prior to his retirement.
Those two players would have forced the Broncos into some significant salary cap gymnastics for this season, so perhaps not getting either of them was a blessing in disguise…
Either that, or the Broncos would have been playoff contenders this year…
At any rate, the Broncos’ current amount of cap space will roll over to the 2018 salary cap space, and even though the roughly $11.5 million figure is modest compared to some other teams in the NFL, it’s a significant figure for the Broncos.
$11.5 million will get you a high quality starter, or two quality starters in free agency.
The Broncos also have (and seem to pride themselves on) having one of the lowest dead cap figures in the NFL. Basically, dead cap is money you are paying to players that aren’t on the roster, but still counting against your salary cap figure.
The Broncos have less than $400,000 in dead cap money toward the 2018 salary cap.
Speaking of the 2018 salary cap, let’s take a look at that next…