Which Broncos have the highest cap hits for the 2023 season?
The NFL salary cap is set to increase yet again this year, but teams like the Denver Broncos have a few players who have high cap hits. The team does not have a ton of cap space now, but with a few cuts and restructures, the Broncos can position themselves nicely for free agency.
Given that they do not have a ton of draft picks, it’s almost a given that the invest a good bit during the free agency period. The Broncos are all-in at this point, so I think we’ll see an active team when free agency begins in March.
Right now, the team has nine players with more than a $10 million cap hit for the 2023 season. Some are worth it, but others perhaps not so much, so let’s take a look at the highest cap hits for the team in 2023.
Which Broncos have the highest cap hits for the 2023 season?
1. Russell Wilson – $22 million
This is still a small number for a quarterback in terms of cap hits. Russell Wilson has the highest cap hit on the team, which is likely very common among other teams with franchise quarterbacks. If Sean Payton can make Wilson look like his old self, then I don’t think anyone will give a rip about his cap number.
2. Courtland Sutton – $18.2 million
Courtland Sutton signed an extension last year and did not exactly live up to it this year. His $18 million cap hit is a massive increase from it being a hair over $5 million last year. I do think Sutton could be someone that the Broncos look to move for the right price.
I’ve personally proposed sending Sutton to the Arizona Cardinals for DeAndre Hopkins. I do think Sutton is on the team in 2023, but he’s the WR2 at this point, and I’m not sure having this big of a cap number is sitting well with George Paton.
3. Justin Simmons – $18.1 million
This cap number is quite disgusting to look at for a safety who turns 30 years old this year. I’d think that Justin Simmons would be a logical candidate to restructure this year. Or, to take it a step further, I would not hate if the team tried to recoup some draft capital by trading Simmons.
Some have floated the idea of taking from the defense to help fix the offense, and I think part of that “taking” could be Justin Simmons.
4. Garett Bolles – $17.8 million
Garett Bolles is an above average tackle in the NFL, but missed most of the 2022 season with an injury. Bolles also seems like an obvious restructure candidate since he’ll be coming off of major injury.
I could also see a scenario where the Broncos would look to trade Bolles as well. Calvin Anderson may have shown enough at left tackle, or the team could look to the free agent market to find a cheaper but perhaps just as effective solution.
5. Randy Gregory – $16.1 million
Randy Gregory appeared in just six games for the Broncos in 2022 and was not nearly as effective as his contract portrays. I don’t see any scenario where Gregory plays with this massive cap number. Denver does need all the help they can get with their pass rush, as Bradley Chubb is gone and the team may or may not re-sign Dre’Mont Jones.
Randy Gregory is entering a very crucial year. If he lives up to his contract, he may stick around for a third season in the orange and blue.