Back in time, Peyton Manning and Denver Broncos were a prime landing spot for free agents causing fans to ask if under Sean Payton it will be the same.
From the moment Peyton Manning signed with the Denver Broncos, a foundation was laid for a winning culture and a dream spot for free agents. One prime example is 2014 free agency which resulted in DeMarcus Ware, TJ Ward, Emmanuel Sanders, and Aqib Talib all being signed in one off-season. All of those players were instrumental to winning Super Bowl 50. No one knows if they will have the same success in free agency under new head coach Sean Payton, but with his success as coach, it is not out of the question.
One of the first biggest draws is the new ownership for the Broncos has now shown they mean business in giving money to the head coach and potentially resetting the market for a coach. It is important to note the head coach contract does not in any affect the team’s salary cap. If a new ownership group can show this kind of aggressiveness to spend money, then free agency should be no different.
Heading into free agency Denver will not have the most money for the salary cap. The numbers have fluctuated depending on the sites you visit. According to Spotrac, the Broncos will have around $12,000,000 million in cap space. According to Over the Cap, Broncos will be around $10,000,000 million. The point still stands that Denver will be on the short side of the salary cap. However, it is important to remember cash over cap every day of the week. For example, the Kansas City Chiefs were strapped with a low salary cap of under $1,000,000 million. The Chiefs still managed to sign quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive lineman Chris Jones to big contract extensions. It can happen.
Other ways to manage the salary cap room will be having conversations with numerous players regarding restructures. Russell Wilson, Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton, Chase Edmonds, and Tim Patrick are a few they will ask about redoing their deals. If this does happen it will free up more money for players to be brought in as members of the Denver Broncos.
Arguably the most important reason why the Denver Broncos could be viewed as a prime destination is the head coaches ability to use its best players to be successful. Will Saquon Barkley return to New York? Yes, but if he’s testing the opening market it would be easy to see if Barkley had Denver on his short simply due to how he used Alvin Kamara in New Orleans. Even for wide receivers, it would also be understandable if free agents circled Denver as a spot to sign.
Michael Thomas‘ emergence in his early seasons is another example of players who have been schemed open in Sean Payton’s offense. We mentioned above Sanders was a free agent signing of the Broncos in 2014. Sanders was also a former Saints wideout with Payton and his offense. It was also the first season post-Drew Brees. The Drew Brees era came to close and Sanders proved to be a reliable weapon in the offense. This was before retirement as a Bronco. Another point here is many may forget success of Jimmy Graham in early years of New Orleans. The Saints drafted him and he had two 1,000 yard receiving seasons. Graham also helped reinvent the criteria for evaluating whether tight ends should be paid like wide receivers.
Lastly, Denver is a prime spot to take permanent residence for the foreseeable future. Mike Shanahan, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Brian Dawkins, Sanders, Champ Bailey and now Sean Payton all have at one time or another found Colorado as home. Even future Hall of Famer Von Miller has a residency still in Colorado if I’m not mistaken. As we come full circle this is why Peyton Manning signing with Denver helped reignite the state as a prime destination for players to consider Colorado home.
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In conclusion, the Denver Broncos are an attractive destination for free agents now with Sean Payton as head coach. From aggressive ownership/front office, to restructuring contracts to fit new players on their roster, Kamara’s success in Payton’s offense and attraction of the state of Colorado.