The Denver Broncos had previously gotten to work extending a ton of players along the defensive line, as recently, all of DJ Jones, Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper all got deals from the team. Back in 2024, the Broncos traded a draft pick to the New York Jets to acquire John Franklin-Myers.
He then agreed to an extension through the 2025 season, and as the season went on, it became clear as ever that JFM was not going to get a deal from the Broncos, and it really had nothing to do with the player - it's that no NFL team can truly pay everyone, and since the Broncos had handed out a ton of extensions along the defensive line, Franklin-Myers was the odd-man out.
And on Monday, during the NFL's legal tampering period, news broke that Franklin-Myers would be headed to the Tennessee Titans on a massive free agency deal. It's important to remember, though, that no free agency deal can be official until March 11th.
John Franklin-Myers is off to the Titans after two years with the Denver Broncos
It really is no surprise that Franklin-Myers ends up getting this type of deal from the Titans, as there are a ton of connections between the player and the team, all of a sudden...
JFM landed a three-year deal worth $63 million with Tennessee, which is a massive raise from the $7.5 million per year deal he was on with the Broncos. Notably, the Titans head coach is Robert Saleh, who was once the Jets head coach, and that's where JFM previously played.
The Titans are signing veteran DL John Franklin-Myers to a three-year, $63 million deal, sources tell The Insiders.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2026
A monster deal for @J_FranklinMyers on a deal negotiated by @brady_cliff of @CapSportsAdv. pic.twitter.com/brxpSiV1Zd
Furthermore, the Titans previously swung a trade for Jermaine Johnson, a former Jets' teammate of Franklin-Myers'. Not only that, but the Titans came into the free agency period with a ton of cap space, so they were going to be able to 'buy' talent like this and simply outbid other teams.
Frankly, the Broncos were never going to come close to this type of deal to retain Franklin-Myers. After back-to-back career-high sack seasons with the Broncos the past two years, JFM lands a massive free agency deal in what will likely end up being his last major payday in the NFL.
The Broncos now have a vacant spot along the defensive line, so guys like Sai'vion Jones or Eyioma Uwazurike might be the current leaders in the clubhouse to take that spot over, but it would not shock me if the Broncos sniffed around for a low-cost player at defensive end to potentially start in 2025.