Do the Denver Broncos have a bad contract on their roster?
The Denver Broncos are in a good place in their current state and for the long term. Does the team have a legitimate “bad” contract on their roster?
One of the worst things that a team would have to go through, among other things, is signing someone to a contract and it not working out. For the Denver Broncos, are they victims of this?
I think of many players across the league who are essentially being overpaid, like Christian Kirk, and players like Jared Goff, who got progressively worse after signing a big deal.
The Denver Broncos have their share of larger contracts on the roster, and George Paton will have to pay up to multiple players soon, like Russell Wilson, Patrick Surtain II, and maybe even someone like Jerry Jeudy, Dalton Risner, or Lloyd Cushenberry.
However, in looking at the roster as a whole, I am not sure the team has a legitimate, crippling contract on the roster or a contract that simply is not compatible with a signed player.
Many players on offense are still on their rookie deals, like Quinn Meinerz, Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry, Albert Okwuegbunam, Javonte Williams, and Jerry Jeudy.
Then you have players like Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, who both signed extensions during the 2021 season, and seeing how the receiver market behaved this offseason, it’s clear that both players were signed for much less than they would have gotten on the open market.
Both Sutton and Patrick are on excellent, team-friendly contracts.
Russell Wilson is going to sign a massive extension next offseason in Denver, so his current contract is a bit outdated since it was signed a few seasons ago. Technically speaking, it is a very good contract in its current state.
I think the worst contract on the offensive side of the ball belongs to Graham Glasgow, who did agree to a revised contract earlier this offseason. His cap hit for 2022 is $6.2 million, which isn’t outrageously high, but it’s the sixth highest on the roster, and Glasgow could very well not end up being on the team when the new season begins.
It was originally a deal worth over $40 million, and the result so far has not been great.
On the defensive side, I don’t believe there to be a “bad” contract either, but perhaps one that isn’t the most ideal.
Justin Simmons has the highest cap hit on defense in 2022 at $18.8 million.
He’s the best safety in the league and his off-field presence is tangible, so he is very much worth it.
I was not a fan of the $70 million deal that Randy Gregory signed. His cap hit for 2022 is only $6 million, so again, it’s not terrible. His cap hit jumps to $16 million in 2023, so if Gregory isn’t able to stay on the field, that cap hit will be hard to swallow.
For now, though, it’s manageable.
The only other contract that doesn’t appear to be ideal is Mike Purcell’s. He has a $4.3 million cap hit for 2022. It’s rather small, but Purcell may not crack the starting lineup this year with new signing DJ Jones.
Both Jones and Purcell are nose tackles. I think the team will either move on from Purcell or ask him to accept a revised contract for 2022.
Overall, though, the Denver Broncos do not have a crippling contract on their roster.