Denver Broncos: 5 players who won’t be back with team in 2022

Kareem Jackson, Safety

Kareem Jackson is still an effective player, but he’s a bit costly and the Broncos have a lot of money tied up at the safety position with the contract they gave to Justin Simmons. Plus, the team was looking to set this move up by drafting two young safeties in this past draft.

Caden Sterns is being groomed as the replacement for Jackson and he has fared well as a rookie so far. It was a bit of a surprise to see the Broncos bring Jackson back this year, but it shows what the team thought of its defense and its playoff chances when they did.

They know they will have to pay up to keep Jackson in orange and blue, so the smarter decision will be to move Sterns into that role and spend that money elsewhere.

Jackson has been one of the better defensive players the Broncos have had since signing him as a free agent in 2019, but the team should opt to let him chase the money somewhere else and get one more good pay day before his career comes to an end.

He will be 34 years old next April.