Denver Broncos most likely cap casualties in 2018

Aqib Talib, Cornerback

2018 cap hit: $12,000,000
2018 dead money (if released/traded): $1,000,000
Cap savings: $11,000,000

The way Aqib Talib’s contract was originally constructed, it was clear to see the team and player had a four-year agreement, and if all went well, the Broncos would have some flexibility for the final two seasons.

Cutting Talib would be a catch 22 in my opinion.

You free up a very necessary $11 million in cap space by releasing or trading Talib, but you also lose some of the attitude of your defense, a key (and well respected) veteran, and you also lose his 2019 contract year, where he would play for only $8 million.

In today’s cornerback market, even at Talib’s age, that is a major bargain.

That said, the timing may just be so that the Broncos can’t keep Talib any longer. They are preparing to pay Bradley Roby a bunch of money on his 5th year rookie option, and they can’t necessarily justify paying three guys over $8 million per season at the same position.

I get it.

I would hate losing Talib, but unfortunately, his contract was written up like this for a reason. This is the Broncos’ easy out. Hopefully they can recoup something in a trade, because releasing him will yield nothing in terms of compensatory picks in 2019.