Denver Broncos offseason, trade, and free agency wishlist

With Russell Wilson on board and salary cap space to spare, the Denver Broncos should be armed with plenty of ammo to make a big splash in free agency

Welcome to free agency, the time when holes are filled, weaknesses become strengths, and draft priorities become more clear.  For the Denver Broncos, it’s going to be the most exciting free agency period since 2014 when the Broncos acquired Demarcus Ware, TJ Ward, Aqib Talib, and Emmanuel Sanders after falling to Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Why?

Well unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that the Broncos have acquired future Hall of Fame quarterback, Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.  The number one priority of the offseason, a quarterback, has already been figured out.

If the Broncos were to call it quits and not acquire a single free agent, they would still get an A+ for their offseason as the Broncos are now back in the mix as a viable Super Bowl contender.

However, it’s unlikely they are done just yet as the team is still flush with cap space and the window to win is now officially open.  Before we dive into the moves, let’s take a quick look at where the Broncos sit in cap space:

After a flurry of moves reported by Mike Klis of 9 News:

While the structures of the deals aren’t official, it’s safe to say that they will likely be around $2.5 million for each Beck and Anderson as they are right in line with what the original round tender would be.

Assuming there are no void years to lessen the blow on the cap, they will both account for a total of around $5 million.  This leaves the Broncos with roughly $22.5 million in remaining cap space.  While this doesn’t seem like a ton, that money can go a long way to bringing some serious talent to the Mile High City.  Let’s dive in.

Denver Broncos free agency Step One: Extend Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson has two years remaining on his current contract and is due $24 million in 2022 and $27 million in 2023 — a very reasonable number for a tier 1 quarterback.  So why on Earth would the Broncos want to do a deal now, you might ask?

Simply put, the salary cap is getting ready to skyrocket as the revenues from the new TV deals signed a few years back are set to kick in, and with a rising cap comes a rising market.

The highest-paid quarterback in the league today on an annual basis is Patrick Mahomes at nearly $45 million, but when Aaron Rodgers finally signs on the dotted line, that market is expected to reset to around $50 million in average contract value.

Once the market gets reset, it doesn’t come down, so waiting to do a deal could cost the Broncos in the coming years, so giving a raise now could look like a bargain 3 years from now.

Additionally, an extension now could actually provide some savings against the cap this year and allow the team to be more flexible.  Let’s take a look at a deal:

Proposed Deal: 5 years, $235 million, $127 million guaranteed, $15 million 2022 cap hit

Details of the deal can be seen here, calculator in the tweet provided by Overthecap.com:

At $47 million per year, this would place Wilson ahead of Mahomes, but likely behind Rodgers.  Could Russ get more?

Probably, but Russell seems like a guy that would be okay with a fair deal that won’t make it challenging for the Broncos to build around.

Step Two: Bring Von Miller back to Denver

Bring Von Miller back to Denver.  The Broncos have a need at pass rush, and even at an older age, Von Miller proved he is still one of the best out there recording 5 sacks in 8 games for the Rams after being traded mid-season.  Von added another four sacks in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl win showing that he can still get it done on the biggest of stages.

After posting some not-so-subtle hints on Instagram and Twitter that he’d like to be back, it should only be fitting that George Paton brings home the best defensive player in franchise history to do what he’s always wanted to do, and that’s winning another Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.

So what might a deal look like:

Proposed Deal: 3 years, $48.62 million, $31.62 million guaranteed, $5.87 million 2022 cap hit

Details of the deal can be seen here, calculator in the tweet provided by Overthecap.com:

The use of a void year can lessen the blow of the signing bonus across the 3 years of the deal.  Chances are, Von wouldn’t stick around to see 2024 in this scenario, but could always stay on a pay cut or extension if he’s still playing at a high level.

Trade for Dallas Cowboys RT La’el Collins

It’s no secret that Dallas Cowboys’ right tackle, La’el Collins is on the trade block.

The Broncos got solid play out of Bobbie Massie at right tackle a season ago, and might not have any problem bringing him back for another season.  However, despite recent injuries and suspension troubles, Collins would represent a big upgrade and give Denver legitimate bookend tackles for the first time since 2012 when the Broncos had Ryan Clady and Orlando Franklin both healthy and playing at a high level.

It has been noted that Collins might be released by the Cowboys if a trade cannot be worked out.  If the market is simply not that hot, the Broncos could possibly land him for a day 3 pick which would be a steal if healthy.

Collins’s contract sees him making roughly $10 million per year for the next three years which is a very solid deal in the current tackle market.  it would certainly be worth a day three pick to guarantee Collins in the orange and blue.

Bring Back Bryce Callahan and Kenny Young

The Denver Broncos still have a couple of holes:

Off-ball linebacker and slot cornerback remain spots of weakness, and while the Broncos could and likely will look to the draft to fill these needs, bringing back a couple of key contributors in Bryce Callahan and Kenny Young could fill the immediate needs and allow the draft to be supplementing depth instead of plugging starters.

Bryce Callahan has shown to be one of the best slot cornerbacks in the game when healthy.  When healthy are the keywords in this instance as he’s missed time in all three seasons prior.  With this, look for him to get a much smaller deal than his actual play would represent–likely 1-2 years at around $5 million a year with an easy out after 2022 if he continues to have health issues.

The Broncos do have Michael Ojemudia as the fourth corner in case things go sideways.  This would be a low-risk, high-reward deal.

As for Kenny Young, he showed plenty of promise after being acquired mid-season in 2021.  A pairing of Young and Baron Browning could be a formidable one for years to come.  Look for Young to command a salary in the $6-7 million a year range with guarantees around $10-12 million.

Rounding out the salary cap

If the Broncos were to make these moves they’d be left with around $6 million in cap space.  This would be plenty to sign their draft class and have a bit leftover.  If they need more space to make another splash move, they have lots of restructure options.

No, a restructure does NOT mean a pay cut, it is simply a maneuver the team can use to convert either a base salary or roster bonus into a signing bonus, and spread that bonus out over the life of the deal.  The best candidate would be Courtland Sutton who has a roster bonus that could be changed to a signing bonus and save around $8 million against the cap this year.

Denver Broncos mock draft: Adding studs after Russell Wilson trade

The Denver Broncos have a brand-new foundation to build on with the Russell Wilson trade. How will George Paton approach the 2022 NFL Draft?

Whatever happens in the coming days know this, the Broncos are a contender once again.  Broncos Country is in for a fun ride.