After the Denver Broncos lost in the playoffs to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Sean Payton was asked about how big the "gap" is between his Broncos team and teams like the Buffalo Bills in the AFC.
Payton quipped that the gap wasn't that big in the first half of the game where the Broncos missed a field goal to tie the score at 10 apiece, but that the gap was much bigger in the second half when the Bills pulled away. He also added that if the Broncos had been somehow able to find a way past the Bills in the Wild Card Round, they felt pretty good about going to Kansas City the next week.
Broncos might not be far off from KC, but are they far off from BUF/BAL?
It feels weird to say this, but it actually feels like the Broncos are closer to closing the gap with the Chiefs than they are with teams like the Bills and Ravens. The Bills and Ravens are built to dominate over extended periods of time. Statistically speaking, those are two of the most impressive teams in the NFL. But the Chiefs are maintaining continuity on their roster and coaching staff and it's not so much about the "Jimmys and Joes" on the field with KC as it is the mental side of the game and doing little things well.
It certainly doesn't make for an easy gig for Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton, but they already have some of the pieces needed. This Broncos team showed it has the mental fortitude to go into Kansas City and get a win. One lapse on a chip-shot field goal cost them a signature win early in Bo Nix's pro career.
But that loss was perhaps exactly the catalyst for what will be an aggressive offseason for the Denver Broncos. The approach we see from this team in 2025 will give us every indication of just how "far off" they believe they are internally.
If I can be so bold, I would contend that the Denver Broncos' aggressiveness this offseason -- or lack thereof -- will be our greatest indicator of how close this team truly believes they are. If they go after players in free agency, through trades, and supplement in the NFL Draft with intention, it will be our best sign yet that Sean Payton knows his team is close.
If the Broncos are conservative in free agency and take a more "measured" approach as George Paton put it, we might have our clearest sign yet that the team believes it's probably another year off and they want to get completely out of the shadow of Russell Wilson's dead cap number ($35 million in 2025).
Now, this isn't meant to be a hot take that if the Broncos don't go blow all their cap space in free agency, they are unserious. What I think is undoubtedly true, however, is that if the Broncos are overly conservative when it comes to free agency instead of hitting some major areas of need head on, it will set them up for what could be an underwhelming NFL Draft.
There are successful teams that don't spend a ton in NFL free agency and it's often a smart move. But given the fact that the Broncos were a blocked field goal away from beating the Chiefs on the road this year, how can they possibly justify sitting on their hands in NFL Free Agency? How can they justify running it back with some of the players on this roster who could be clearly upgraded with this upcoming free agent class?
It would be a massive disappointment with the assets the Broncos have at their disposal if they didn't take a selectively aggressive approach to boosting the talent and depth on this roster. And whenever we see them start to go after guys in free agency, we'll know just how serious they are about closing the proverbial gap.