Denver Broncos offensive tackle Donald Stephenson’s contract was set to void the fifth day of the waiver period after the Super Bowl…
Donald Stephenson is officially no longer a member of the Denver Broncos.
Stephenson and the Broncos had agreed to a contract re-structure last year, which pro-rated a $1 million signing bonus to 2018, where his contract with the team would then ‘void’.
That proration meant Stephenson’s contract is up after the fifth waiver period after the season, which is the day of this post being written (Friday, February 9th).
Broncos OT Donald Stephenson's 2018 contract year voids today (5th day of waiver period). Stephenson is a UFA at the start of the 2018 league year on 3/14. Broncos will have a $1M salary cap charge from the bonus proration relating to Stephenson's 2018 contract year.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) February 9, 2018
So, the Broncos did not cut Stephenson. His contract was set up in such a way that essentially, the Broncos moved on from Stephenson ahead of time.
Broncos fans are not likely to be disappointed by this.
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Stephenson signed a three-year deal with the Broncos back in 2016, and has been a disappointment even with the relatively low price tag he came along with. His three-year, $14 million deal with the Broncos proved to be a pretty bad waste of time and confidence, and the Broncos made a similar (worse) error last offseason with the signing of Menelik Watson from the Oakland Raiders.
Stephenson was demoted this past offseason to swing tackle duties, and ended the year as a backup to Cyrus Kouandjio, who was signed as a street free agent in the middle of the season.
The Broncos don’t save any money on their 2018 cap with Stephenson being gone ($1 million cap hit, $1 million dead money hit) but they have a chance to upgrade on the roster now with him out of the picture.
A former third round pick out of Oklahoma, Stephenson has struggled either to stay healthy or play consistently well in the NFL. He will likely look to latch on as some team’s swing tackle this offseason.