The Denver Broncos survived the Russell Wilson era, as his contract is totally off the books following the official end of the 2025 NFL Season. After four total seasons of Wilson being on the team and his dead cap lingering, the Broncos can turn the page and really get aggressive.
To give the front office credit, though, they did add some notable free agency talent the past two offseasons, so it's not like they were totally not doing that. But with Wilson's contract off the books, Bo Nix clearly being the franchise QB, and the Super Bowl window being wide open, the time is now to take this roster to another level.
But a huge reason whether the Broncos can do that or not is how the team sits financially approaching free agency. How much cap space do the Denver Broncos have heading into the 2026 NFL Free Agency period?
The Denver Broncos are in good financial shape approaching NFL Free Agency
According to spotrac.com, the Denver Broncos currently sit at $35,798,090 in cap space for 2026, which is a healthy amount. And, with Russell Wilson's dead cap off the books, the Broncos carry just $1.2 million, which is flat-out awesome.
This cap space also does not include any sort of cuts or restructures that Denver may do. For example, the Broncos could free up some cap space if they elected to cut or trade Ben Powers, and most of the big-time contracts they have on the roster can be restructured for more space in 2026.
Other players like Brandon Jones, who has just one more year left on his deal, could be extended, which would also open more space. The biggest financial advantage that the Broncos have is not having a big-time QB contract anymore. Bo Nix will be on his rookie deal for another few seasons, as a potential extension following 2026 may take a year or two to fully kick in.
Overall, the franchise navigated the Russell Wilson situation perfectly. This team is now in a very healthy spot overall and can really do what they want in free agency. The team also has their own first and second-round picks in the NFL Draft and could get more if Vance Joseph gets picked for a last-second head coaching vacancy.
All in all, this offseason could be very special for Denver. The Super Bowl window is wide open, and the team has a means to add big-time.