Derek Wolfe reportedly already lining up free agent visits

Denver Broncos free agent defensive lineman Derek Wolfe is coming off of a career year, so it’s understandable he would have suitors lined up.

In just a few weeks, the Denver Broncos face the very real possibility of losing some of the best players on their roster, including one of the best draft choices in John Elway’s tenure as general manager — Derek Wolfe.

Wolfe, a second-round pick out of Cincinnati back in the 2012 NFL Draft, finished the 2019 season on injured reserve with a dislocated elbow but not before he set a career-high with seven sacks in just 12 games.

Under Vic Fangio, Wolfe Flourished and was truly one of the Broncos’ best players this past season when he was healthy. Will we only get one year of the Fangio-Wolfe combination?

It’s certainly possible.

Wolfe is not going to be taking a ‘hometown discount’ to stay in Denver this time around, and the Broncos are going to have to pay a fair market deal for Wolfe’s services in 2020 and beyond. According to Benjamin Allbright, Wolfe has already got a pretty robust lineup of prospective teams waiting to negotiate.

Teams can’t negotiate with free agents until March 18, but that doesn’t mean Wolfe and his camp can’t start putting together an itinerary.

This will be the first time Wolfe enters unrestricted free agency, provided the Broncos don’t re-sign him to a deal before the new league year in March. He was drafted in 2012, signed a four-year contract then, and signed a contract extension during the Broncos’ Super Bowl run in the 2015-16 postseason.

At the time, Wolfe took a contract worth $9.175 million per season, which was probably at least $5 million per season than he could have made on the open market.

He’s probably looking at signing a deal around the $9-10 million average annual value range this time around again, but for a player who is just heading into his 30s with an extensive injury history, how many teams — including the Broncos — are going to be willing to give Wolfe a ton of guaranteed cash?

Should the Broncos even do that?

There are alternatives on the free agent market to consider, and the Broncos may have to put together contingencies despite Wolfe being fairly vocal about wanting to retire in Denver. He’s got suitors.