The NFL can be a tough and shocking business sometimes. Will the Denver Broncos end up making some major moves next offseason?
With the amount of good players that the Broncos have on their roster, it's impossible to keep everyone, and in some instances, some great players exit a team - we just saw Saquon Barkley leave the New York Giants in free agency and sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Even though the end of the 2025 NFL Season is months away, the Broncos might already be looking at saying some tough goodbyes when the year is over.
Are these three veteran players on their way out?
Courtland Sutton, WR
As the days and weeks roll on, Courtland Sutton not having a new contract extension leads me to believe there won't be one. Sutton is a free agent following the 2025 NFL Season and is not really a legitimate no. 1 target. Yes, he's a good player, but he's reached his ceiling in the NFL and also turns 30 years old this season.
With the team having brought along receivers like Troy Franklin, Devaughn Vele, and Pat Bryant in recent years, you have to wonder if the Broncos front office is content with Sutton leaving after 2025. That may honestly be the right move.
John Franklin-Myers, DE
John Franklin-Myers was such an amazing addition by the Broncos last offseason, but he's got one more year left on his deal and could simply not be re-signed by the team. With Denver drafting Sai'vion Jones in the 2025 NFL Draft, Frankin-Myers may have just watched his employer find his replacement.
While bringing JFM back for another year or two could be a great idea, he is slowly getting up there in age, and we have seen Denver really hone in on the 'draft and develop' side of things. It would also be cheaper to let JFM walk - no NFL team can pay everyone, so this could be one example of that.
Nik Bonitto, OLB
Nik Bonitto has taken a huge leap over the last two seasons and truly broke out in 2024, racking up 13.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 24 QB hits. He also added two defensive touchdowns as well. The main knock on Bonitto is that he is a bit undersized and doesn't always set a strong edge against the run.
Denver has Jonah Elliss and now Que Robinson in the OLB room along with Jonathon Cooper and Dondrea Tillman. With Cooper already receiving an extension, there does seem to be a non-zero possibility that the Broncos led Bonitto play out the final year of his deal and perhaps take it from there.
It would be quite the move, but if I had to guess, Denver wants to see whether or not Bonitto's 2024 season was an outlier or the real-deal. The right option is likely re-signing the 2022 NFL Draft pick, but you just never know what the front office is thinking.