The Denver Broncos have not been afraid to throw money around to retain key players or even acquire key players on the open market. This team is built in all the right ways, and one huge point of emphasis that this front office has continually hammered home is retaining and paying their own, homegrown talent.
That is also the most sustainable way to continue winning in the NFL, and even during the Russell Wilson dead cap years, the Broncos were able to spend money wisely and pay players what they deserve. The 2026 NFL Season could see the team deciding who they want to pay further, as there will be a nearly brand-new group of players up for extensions.
And whether those extensions come from the Broncos or another team is not known at the moment, but these five players could perform so well that they'd be impossible to underpay.
These Denver Broncos players can perform their way into a major payday after 2026
Riley Moss, CB
Riley Moss appears to be one of the more controversial players on the roster. He's been a starter for the team opposite Patrick Surtain II for two years now and led the NFL in 2025 with 19 passes defended. He was targeted over 100 times, and while he did struggle with pass interference penalties, many fans saw that a few of those infractions were shaky calls at best.
Simply put, Moss is a starting-caliber cornerback in the NFL. He's right in the middle of his prime years and could churn out another strong season. Depending on how the Broncos want to deploy Jahdae Barron will factor in heavily as to whether the team re-signs Moss or not, but with Surtain already making well over $20 million per year, and the Broncos having other secondary decisions to make, Moss' potential pricetag next offseason could be too rich for Denver to feel comfortable paying.
Ja'Quan McMillian, CB
The second of three secondary players on this list, Ja'Quan McMillian got a huge raise from the Broncos this offseason. In 2025, McMillian was making just $1.030 million. In 2026, he's slated to make $5.767 million, which is a, roughly, 500 percent raise. This alone should indicate that the Broncos want to keep McMillian here on a long-term deal, as these one-year contracts really don't do anyone favors.
The one issue here is that there is not a distinct 'slot cornerback' contract market, so finding McMillian's value on a per-year basis could be tough. However, McMillian is a playmaker who has displayed ability getting into the backfield against the run and as a blitzer, and he really improved in coverage in 2025.
If McMillian's 2026 season ends up being an exact repeat of 2025, the Broncos would have a rather expensive contact to try and get done.
Brandon Jones, S
Selfishly, I want the Broncos to keep Brandon Jones for as long as possible. He might just be the most underrated player on the roster, as he can do literally everything at the position. Jones is strong in coverage and can also get physical near the line of scrimmage. The main issue here is that Jones has missed time in each of his two seasons with the Broncos, but he and Talanoa Hufanga form one of the best safety tandems in the NFL.
Jones has one more year left on his deal and initially signed a three-year pact with the Broncos worth about $6.67 million per year. On a per-year basis, that ranks just 28th among safeties. There are a whopping 22 safeties making at least $10 million per year, and many of them are not quite as good as Jones or in the same tier of player.
Through two years with the Broncos, Jones is averaging 2 interceptions, 10 passes defended, and 110 total tackles across a full 17-game season, so the production is unquestionably strong. With the Broncos having other secondary decisions to make and Hufanga already making well over $10 million per year, Jones could end up pricing his way out of town, unfortunately.
Eyioma Uwazurike, DE
As of now, Eyioma Uwazurike feels like the favorite to take John Franklin-Myers' place on the Broncos defensive line. Franklin-Myers signed with the Tennessee Titans on a deal worth over $20 million per year, but he hardly played half the snaps for the Broncos in 2025.
Uwazurike was the primary backup last year, racking up 3.5 sacks, 39 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits. At 6'6 and 320 pounds, Uwazurike's size, length, and relentless motor does profile him as a starter for Denver.
But Denver is paying just about everyone else along the defensive line, so a breakout season for the fourth-round pick back in 2022 could be another example of a player pricing their way out of town. The Broncos do also have Tyler Onyedim and Sai'vion Jones in the room, so the team may have already made preparations for a potential Uwazurike exit.
Ben Powers, OG
Ben Powers is the only starting offensive lineman not under contract past the 2026 season. The Broncos drafted OG/OT Kage Casey in the 2026 NFL Draft and also re-signed Alex Palczewski on a two-year deal. It really does feel like there's a zero percent chance that Powers re-signs with the Broncos. Denver was going to have to get cheaper along the offensive line at some point, and that could come after 2026.
But this isn't necessarily a Powers issue - he's a good, rock-solid guard who would surely find a new multi-year deal from another team on the open market in 2027. He's making over $10 million per year with the Broncos and did sign a deal worth $52 million with the team back in 2023.
With how much the salary cap increases, Powers could find another deal worth around that much next offseason. This could be similar to the Franklin-Myers situation - a good player the Broncos just do not have the financial capacity to re-sign, and that's OK!
That happens in the NFL sometimes, and it's nice that the team seems to have a plan in place for his eventual departure.
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