Denver Broncos: Phillip Lindsay is worth every penny of potential pay raise
For an undrafted free agent, Phillip Lindsay’s first two seasons in the NFL have gone better than anyone could have predicted.
The Denver Broncos have a chance to have one of the league’s best duos at the running back position following the free-agent signing of Melvin Gordon. The Broncos gave Gordon a two-year, $16 million deal.
Though the team has a shiny new toy in the backfield, it can’t forget about what Phillip Lindsay has brought to the team. Recently, John Elway has suggested that a pay increase could be in store for Lindsay.
The Broncos are not obligated to give Lindsay a new deal. He is already under contract for the 2020 season and is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in 2021.
That said, the Broncos could reward him for being the sparkplug that he has been in his first two seasons, far exceeding expectations for an undrafted player. He became the only undrafted player in league history to be voted to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and became the only undrafted running back in league history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in his first two seasons.
Sometimes, it sends the right message to reward that kind of production.
The Broncos don’t have to break the bank and give Lindsay a massive payday. But bumping him up a bit from the $750,000 he is set to earn this coming season would be a nice gesture.
It’s a fair argument to say that Linday, at 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, is not built to take the pounding of a true No.1 running back. That was part of the motivation behind the Gordon signing.
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But what Lindsay can do is provide a great change of pace behind the running style of Gordon, a former first-round pick.
Lindsay, though small in stature, is capable of getting the tough yards as well as making game-changing plays. He is also the ultimate teammate and Gordon is looking forward to playing with him.
Lindsay was born and raised in Denver before attending the University of Colorado in Boulder. The fact that he is a local product only endears him to the team’s fanbase even more.
He is everything you want in a player and though the Broncos can’t guarantee that they will pay him more this season (the team still needs to sign its draft picks and consider other free agents), they should go out of their way to make it happen.
Lindsay is worth it. He’s proven that.