The Denver Broncos need to be careful with some of the free agents they look at in 2025. They need to stay away from these three in particular. Each and every single year, there are teams that make some brutal free agency mistakes - that is simply what happens in the NFL from time to time.
The Broncos did bring in a nice free agency haul last offseason, and did so without spending a ton of money. They are more equipped this offseason to spend more if they choose. Well, a big downside of spending a lot of money is the higher risk of overpaying.
Not only should the Broncos not overpay for a few free agents, but they need to simply stay away from these three entirely.
All projected market values come from spotrac.com
3 free agents the Denver Broncos must stay away from in 2025 offseason
Nick Bolton, ILB
Nick Bolton turns just 25 years old on March 10th, so he's got some youth on his side, but he is going to be quite expensive in free agency and just isn't that good in coverage at all, having allowed a passer rating of 99.1 across his career.
I just don't think Nick Bolton is the true enforcer in the middle of the defense that the Denver Broncos need. He's an incredibly smart player, but he has also had the luxury of playing for Steve Spagnuolo, who is pretty clearly the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. I believer Denver would benefit instead from signing more of a S/LB hybrid who can play close to the line of scrimmage and also drop back in coverage.
Those types of players seem to excel in Vance Joseph's defenses.
Jevon Holland, SAF
Jevon Holland did play with Brandon Jones in Miami, but his market value is going to come in around $15.1 million a year, which is flat-out too much money for the Broncos to allocate to a safety at this point.
He's not the best in coverage, either, and in my opinion, that's the type of player the Broncos have to find at safety in the offseason - someone who is sound in coverage. PJ Locke III was horrific in coverage in 2024 and definitely felt like the weakest player by far on the backend.
Denver does not need to be spending $15 million per year on a free agent safety like Jevon Holland.
Najee Harris, RB
With a market value of $9.2 million per year, Najee Harris might not be worth it for the Denver Broncos this offseason. He has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first four season, but Harris also turns 27 years old already, so the wear and tear could catch up to him at some point in the near future.
Harris has never averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry and isn't a very explosive runner, either. I was firmly in the Najee Harris camp at one point, but given the other more modestly-priced options and how deep the RB class is in the 2025 NFL Draft, it might be best to let another team overpay for this running back.
Najee Harris is not a signing the Denver Broncos need to make this offseason.