Denver Broncos top 5 biggest salary cap hits in 2022
Which five Denver Broncos players have the biggest salary cap hits in 2022? We take a look through the list and what each player means to the team.
Although they haven’t always made the best acquisitions, the Denver Broncos have done a tremendous job with the salary cap over the last 10 years.
From limiting dead money on the books to orchestrating big contracts with favorable cap hits for the team, the Broncos have done a good job of manipulating the cap and maximizing the assets they have at their disposal.
Heading into the 2022 season, a few players stand out among the rest in terms of their overall salary cap hits.
Which five players on the Denver Broncos roster have the biggest salary cap hits in 2022?
Let’s take a look.
5. Ronald Darby, CB: $12,823,521
The Denver Broncos signed Ronald Darby to a three-year contract in the 2021 offseason to be the starting cornerback opposite whoever would end up winning the job between Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan, and Pat Surtain II.
The team ended up giving the job to Fuller to start the season, but by season’s end, it was Darby and Surtain out there for the Broncos.
Darby doesn’t have an interception since 2019, something he will need to change in 2022 for the Broncos.
He’s been one of the best at getting his hands on the ball since he came into the league in 2015, but he’s got to live up to his big contract and start converting those opportunities into takeaways.
4. Bradley Chubb, EDGE: $13.926 million
The Denver Broncos picked up Bradley Chubb’s fifth-year team option last offseason, and that’s what he’ll play on during the 2022 season.
Chubb, a former fifth-overall pick in the NFL Draft, has a hefty fifth-year option price at almost $14 million.
The Denver Broncos will be happy to shell out that kind of cash for a player of this caliber if Chubb can stay healthy, getting back to the player we saw early on in his career.
3. Justin Simmons, S: $18.85 million
Justin Simmons is one of the best safeties in the NFL and he’s playing in the second year of a massive contract he signed last offseason with the Denver Broncos.
With a cap hit under $6 million last season, Simmons will play with very similar cap hits over $18 million over the course of the next three seasons.
He’s one of the top leaders on this Denver Broncos roster and has a chance to finally play in the postseason for the first time in his NFL career in 2022.
2. Garett Bolles, LT: $21 million
After three relatively dismal seasons to open up his NFL career, Garett Bolles found a major breakthrough in his fourth year in the league.
The Broncos had already declined his rookie option at that point, but John Elway gave Bolles a big contract in the middle of his fourth season and rewarded him for his improved play.
As a result, Bolles has become a core piece of the Denver Broncos’ offense and one of the team’s most consistent linemen.
1. Russell Wilson, QB: $24 million
One of the highest single-season payouts in Denver Broncos history, it’s hard to imagine being happier about a $24 million cap hit.
The Denver Broncos have waited a long time to get a QB in the post-Peyton Manning era, and here he finally is.
Russell Wilson came at a cost, but well worth it.