With free agency looming in the NFL, teams are preparing strategies to improve their rosters.
For 30 NFL teams, the season is over. However, the preparation has already begun for next season. Which moves will put a team over the top? Those decisions start with free agency.
For the Denver Broncos, it will be a critical offseason. The team has decided to retain head coach Vic Fangio, but with John Elway stepping down and George Paton coming in as the new general manager, things will be quite interesting.
Entering free agency, teams want to have the most assets (salary cap space) available. Those teams not only have to decide which of their own free agents to re-sign, but also which players to target from other teams around the league.
For the Broncos, Justin Simmons, Shelby Harris, Elijah Wilkinson and DeMarcus Walker are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. In order to improve their current salary cap status, the Broncos could create quite a bit of extra space by moving on from these four players.
1. Kareem Jackson, safety: $10 million
Kareem Jackson has not played bad. In fact, in two seasons with the team, he has been quite good and seems to be in on nearly every single play. Releasing him would not be due to performance.
That said, if the team hands a big deal to Justin Simmons, and most believe they will, do you want to have that much money tied into the safety position? I have already given my thoughts on what the team should do with Jackson this offseason, though there is a strong argument to keep him in the fold.
It just seems that the money could be better used elsewhere. The team could turn to a veteran like Will Parks next year to assume Jackson’s role and then use a third or fourth-round pick on a safety to develop behind him.
Jackson has been great for the team, but at 33 years old, he’s a little bit too expensive.