The Denver Broncos have a number of players coming up on expiring contracts. While it wasn’t John Elway’s style to re-sign in-season, will George Paton?
It wasn’t really John Elway’s “style” to re-sign players in-season during his tenure as Denver Broncos general manager. Although there were some exceptions, even recent ones like offensive tackle Garett Bolles, if Elway didn’t strike a deal before the start of the regular season, it usually meant that the Broncos and specific players were headed toward January, February, and even March contract talks.
Will George Paton have a similar philosophy, or will he be more willing to re-sign players in-season?
The Denver Broncos have a variety of players coming up on expiring contracts, players that are currently playing massive roles on the team. Who needs to be re-signed ASAP?
Denver Broncos: 5 players that need to be re-signed ASAP
With Von Miller likely out of the picture in 2022 and beyond (that’s not set in stone, but time will tell), the Denver Broncos have a boatload of cap space to work with. According to Spotrac, the Broncos could be going into the 2022 offseason with nearly $80 million in available space.
That number obviously will change based on players the Broncos cut, and even factoring in the money required to re-sign exclusive rights free agents and restricted free agents, the Broncos are in great shape.
Given the way George Paton structured a number of his deals with the Broncos in 2021, even signing players to contracts worth $15-16 million annually does not automatically mean that $15-16 million comes out of the available cap space for the team.
Some of this decision-making will be determined by the team’s coaching staff in the next 3-4 months. Will it still be Vic Fangio as the head man, or will it be someone else?
Time will tell, but right now, the Broncos have a real chance to remain in playoff contention, and when the team is winning, re-signing players sounds a lot better than when you’re losing.
There are undoubtedly some players that should be signed by the team regardless of who the coach is. Let’s take a look at five that should be re-signed ASAP.
Denver Broncos: 5 players that need to be re-signed ASAP
1. Tim Patrick, WR
I can’t tell you how many times the future of Tim Patrick has been discussed on this particular website.
Frankly, without a new contract in hand, it’s a little difficult to tell what the Broncos really think about no. 81.
Courtland Sutton is routinely brought up when George Paton is asked about core players on this roster, and while no one is trying to slight Tim Patrick, it just feels like many of us have been waiting for his eventual departure for about three years now.
And yet Patrick just continues to improve. He continues to make plays. He continues to be a catalyst. He continues to do his job exceptionally well.
How do you not re-sign a player like that?
I get that there could be issues with Courtland Sutton’s potential contract (more on that in a bit) if you re-sign Patrick, but I personally don’t see the issue here at all.
Do for Tim Patrick what you did for Shelby Harris. Pay him a fair deal given his age and production for about three years, and let him continue to grow in Denver, the place he established himself as a very good NFL receiver.
Denver Broncos: 5 players that need to be re-signed ASAP
2. Melvin Gordon, RB
Melvin Gordon will be 29 by the start of the 2022 NFL season, and it’s already not exactly the best practice to pay running backs in today’s NFL.
With that being said, Gordon has been far more productive in Denver than many fans who hated the move on principle initially thought he would be.
In 21 games for the Broncos, Gordon has scored 16 touchdowns and has proven himself to be an asset in the passing game as well as in pass protection on third downs.
Having a veteran back like Gordon has been crucial with the Broncos bringing along Javonte Williams, and as we have seen with just about every other team in the NFL today?
You need to have two really good backs.
Gordon is a really good back. He may not be a game-changer like Nick Chubb, but the Broncos have a strong 1-2 punch between him and Javonte Williams and that could be a devastating duo for at least a few seasons if the Broncos are willing to give Gordon a new contract.
He is currently making $8 million per year on the two-year deal he signed in the 2020 offseason, but given the fact he is now a couple of years older, just based on his position, his value should be at a spot where the Broncos could justify another reasonable two-year deal in the $5-7 million range per year.
Denver Broncos: 5 players that need to be re-signed ASAP
3. Courtland Sutton, WR
Cue up all of the comments and responses.
The Broncos can’t sign both Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton! They’re going to have to pick one! They won’t be able to afford both of those guys and Jerry Jeudy down the line! Who is going to throw them the ball? The Broncos don’t have an owner, re-signing players is pointless.
There is no argument that you could make against this that I haven’t already heard a million times, so spare me.
The Denver Broncos should be trying to re-sign both Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, plain and simple. Why? Those are two players that have proven to be core players for this team.
How many times has Tim Patrick proven his weight in gold for Denver? At the same time, how can you just move on from a guy like Courtland Sutton, a 2019 Pro Bowl selection whose physical traits are only outdone by his outstanding intangibles?
George Paton has to realize — if both Sutton and Tim Patrick can prove themselves to be core players without stable QB play, what could they do if the Broncos get that position figured out?
The Jerry Jeudy contract situation is a hilariously bad argument because Jeudy is under contract for three more seasons after 2021. At that point, you would be able to franchise tag him for a year if need be, so there’s zero reason to worry about losing Jeudy as a repercussion of re-signing both of Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton.
You can always figure out a way to structure deals to fit your cap situation, as well. The salary cap can be manipulated in so many ways that it’s funny when fans act like NFL teams are super handcuffed by it.
The major question here is what the value of these two players will be and how the Broncos might justify those price tags.
Again, to me, these are core players on this team, and with a QB position in flux, you certainly don’t want to make the receiver group weaker. That argument is also hilarious.
The point is, George Paton is in no position to be letting his best players walk in free agency. Even if you kick the can down the road by re-signing Tim Patrick to a multi-year deal and then franchise tagging Courtland Sutton, the sentiment remains — both players should be back in Denver in 2022 if at all possible.
Denver Broncos: 5 players that need to be re-signed ASAP
4. Kenny Young, LB
There is a bit of recency bias here, but the impact that Kenny Young has made in Denver in short order is undeniable.
Going from a team that, at the trade deadline had just one loss, to a team that had four losses was not easy.
Young was one of the more productive players on the Rams’ defense, ranking second on the team in tackles and first on the team in tackles for loss. The energy he brings to the linebacker position is a lot of fun to watch, and the Denver Broncos invested some future draft capital in this guy.
He’s about to turn 27 years old, and it’s reasonable to assume that some of his best playing days are yet ahead.
The Broncos acquired Young in a trade he certainly didn’t ask for and maybe didn’t even want, but instead of putting his tail between his legs and wishing he’d not been traded by the Rams, Young has responded by playing very well for the Broncos at a position that is historically quite difficult to learn in Fangio’s defense.
Given his age, athleticism, and history of productivity, the Broncos would be wise to extend Young before he gets a chance to test the free agent market.
How would this impact the team’s decisions with guys like Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell? That’s another interesting rabbit hole to dive down, but Young has proven between his time in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and now Denver that he deserves to be a full-time starter.
Denver Broncos: 5 players that need to be re-signed ASAP
5. Kareem Jackson, S
Even at the age of 33, Kareem Jackson doesn’t appear to have lost a step at all.
As a matter of fact, Jackson appears to have found the fountain of youth in Denver’s defense making the full-time transition to the safety position after being drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft as a cornerback out of Alabama.
Jackson has played all over the defense throughout his NFL career, but he’s really excelled in Vic Fangio’s defense as the second half of what some might consider the best safety duo in the entire league with Justin Simmons.
The Broncos made the slightly unpopular but not entirely unexpected decision to let Jackson walk in 2021 free agency, declining his team option and risking losing him to another team in a really down safety market.
As fate would have it, Jackson returned to Denver on a one-year deal worth $5 million and he’s been balling out.
He has not missed a single game in Denver due to injury despite his physical style of play, and beyond just being physical, Jackson is instinctive and always plays smart.
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Even on a short-term deal, it would be wise for the Broncos to keep one of their team captains in the mix beyond this season, especially given the fact that the safety market is down and Jackson is not getting any younger. He should continue to be a nice bargain for Denver.