The Denver Broncos were once in what many called 'cap hell' during the two years that Russell Wilson's $85 million dead cap was on the books. In those two years, all the Broncos did was win 24 regular season games and come within one game of the Super Bowl this past season.
And even with all of that dead cap on the books, the front office was still able to extend a ton of in-house players and also make some other savvy moves. General Manager George Paton and his colleagues in the Broncos front office clearly put a solid plan in place. With the 2025 season officially over, which was a while ago now, Wilson's dead cap charge is no longer on the books, and Denver's salary cap is now in a great spot overall.
Let's look at the highest cap hits on the Broncos for 2026, with the data coming from spotrac.
Denver Broncos highest cap hits for the 2026 NFL Season
5. Evan Engram - $14,136,667
Maybe the only iffy cap hit on the roster, Evan Engram's is just over $14 million for 2026. Engram did catch 50 passes for the Broncos last year and did bring better production from the position that the Broncos had gotten in recent years. He's also under contract for just one more season, so this isn't some sort of massive overinvestment.
4. DJ Jones - $14,570,000
DJ Jones is under contract through the 2027 NFL Season but has no more guaranteed money on his deal after 2026. The deal he signed is effectively a two-year pact if the Broncos want it to be. Jones is a good player, not a great one. He does excel against the run and is strong enough to eat up double teams, but he's not offering much at all as an interior rusher.
3. Zach Allen - $16,477,000
Zach Allen is actually under contract for another five seasons with the Broncos. He's led the NFL in quarterback hits in each of the last two seasons - there has been no one better at getting to the quarterback than Allen during this time. He's an elite, All-Pro level player who enjoyed the best season of his career in 2026. His cap hit will remain around this amount in 2026 and 2027.
2. Ben Powers - $16,155,000
Ben Powers missed about half the season with a biceps injury, and while this cap hit seems rather high, Powers is a rock-solid player when on the field, and this was the first notable injury of his Broncos tenure. Powers is also only under contract through this season, so the Broncos are clearly going to be looking to replace him with one of Kage Kasey or Alex Palczewski in 2027.
I would also not be majorly shocked if Powers was not on the roster after the trade deadline in 2026. For the time being, he's the starting left guard, a good player, and is in the final year of his deal.
1. Mike McGlinchey - $23,775,000
Mike McGlinchey has brought leadership and stability to the Broncos offensive line. He has two more years left on his deal, as he signed a massive five-year deal with the Broncos back in 2023. His cap hit will also remain at this exact amount throughout the duration of the rest of his contract with the team.
Seeing as the Broncos recently extended Garett Bolles, an older tackle, the 31-year-old McGlinchey may have a shot to be extended by the Broncos before his deal is up. It would be a risk, but it's worked out thus far with the Broncos blindside protector.
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