Denver Broncos awarded third round pick for Russell Okung
The Denver Broncos lost offensive tackle Russell Okung in free agency in 2017, and were awarded a third round compensatory pick in 2018 as a result…
In the 2017 offseason, the Denver Broncos had a major decision to make in regards to offensive tackle Russell Okung.
After signing him to a one-year contract with nothing guaranteed and a cap charge under $6 million, the Broncos had a four-year team option on Okung’s contract that would essentially pay him an average of over $10 million per year in salary.
That contract language actually screwed the Broncos over in the 2017 NFL Draft compensatory pick formula, and the Broncos did not get multiple third round picks like they were expected to.
After declining Okung’s team option, the Broncos watched as their rival Los Angeles Chargers swooped in and paid Okung a very large contract, one of the largest any unrestricted free agent received in 2017, as a matter of fact.
Okung signed a deal with the Chargers worth nearly $13.5 million in average salary, and as a result, the Broncos were awarded a third round compensatory draft pick in 2018.
I couldn’t accurately explain to you how the compensatory formula works, but it was predicted nearly a year ago that Denver would receive this pick by OverTheCap.com, and fans were naturally skeptical given the way the NFL sort of screwed Denver over in the 2017 draft.
Despite Denver’s big money deal for Ron Leary, the compensatory formula was much more kind to them this year, giving them the 99th overall selection in the draft and adding to an already impressive pick lineup.
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With the compensatory pick received for Okung, the Broncos turned an investment of around $8 million into one season of Okung and now an additional third round pick and top 100 pick at that.
Last year, the Broncos were awarded an additional third round compensatory pick, but it was outside the top 100 (101st overall). It’s just two slots, but now the 101st pick is the top pick of the fourth round instead of one of the final picks of day two.
Keep in mind that the NFL now allows teams to trade these compensatory picks, so this is an important asset for the Broncos. This type of pick could be used to trade up in the draft if they want, or you could probably get a pretty good veteran player for that kind of pick if that’s what you want to do.
There will be options, but though the Broncos’ initial investment in Russell Okung didn’t turn out to be a long-term marriage, it’s paying dividends for the future.