If it were not for Bo Nix, Wil Lutz would be the most clutch Bronco in 2025, on top of being one of the best in the league at his position. Lutz came to the Broncos with Sean Payton from New Orleans before the 2023 season and has been one of the best kickers in football since. Overall, the Lutz tenure in Denver has gone better than most fans could have ever imagined.
Lutz is in his third year with the Broncos, which also happens to be a contract year. He signed an extension in Denver following the 2023 season, but his two-year deal is expiring once the Broncos' season ends. At only 31, there are still plenty of strong kicks ahead of the Broncos' kicker.
Ultimately, the free agent class of kickers is an... interesting... one, with Lutz as arguably the second-best name on the list behind Las Vegas' Daniel Carlson. This would change if Dallas chose not to match an offer on pending RFA Brandon Aubrey, but that very likely won't happen. Considering Lutz's success and importance in Denver, the next step for the Broncos' front office is incredibly clear.
The Broncos must extend kicker Wil Lutz before he hits free agency this spring
To the credit of George Paton and the Broncos' front office, there aren't many pending free agents left for the Broncos to bring back. John Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach are pending free agents on the defensive line, JK Dobbins is on a one-year deal, and then there is Lutz. Considering how the Broncos rotate defensive linemen not named Zach Allen, neither Roach nor JFM is guaranteed to be back.
The difference, however, lies in how vital Lutz is to the Broncos' special teams unit. The Broncos have shown the ability to identify and develop defensive linemen, and they aren't the only team in football capable of doing so. Kickers, on the other hand, have shown that they can absolutely tank a team's season and derail any playoff chances a team has if the kicking situation is truly that bad.
Extending Lutz would make all the sense in the world for the Broncos, and could almost be considered a no-brainer at this point. In a season in which the Broncos' special teams unit has been fairly consistently awful, Lutz has been the only bright spot who has performed in every game this year. If he keeps nailing game-winning kicks, Lutz might not only find himself a new contract in Denver, but also find himself as a new Broncos legend.