3 Broncos players who might be safe in 2024 with salary cap increase

The salary cap during the 2024 NFL Season will be over $255 million, which is about $13 million higher than originally thought. This is especially helpful for the Denver Broncos. Now, the Broncos are only $10.7 million over the cap, according to Over The Cap. Their cap overage for 2024 is a lot more manageable now since the NFL announced their salary cap number for 2024.

Now, for reference, the Broncos could actually get into positive cap space with a simple trade of WR Jerry Jeudy. The team is going to deploy more contractual moves to get under the cap and give themselves some spending room for 2024. With the cap increase, the Broncos might now be in a position to not have to part with a veteran player that they were originally planning on parting with.

Let's cover three players on the Broncos who might be safe in 2024 with the salary cap increase.

1. Garett Bolles, LT

One of the longest-tenurd Broncos still on the roster is Garett Bolles, who once went from fan-least favorite to fan-favorite. He began his career as one of the worst offensive linemen in the NFL, and by his fourth year in 2020, he had drastically turned his career around and has since established himself as one of the better left tackles in the NFL.

However, he's got one more year left on his deal and could be in line for an extension. He's been floated as a trade piece though. Here's what NFL insider James Palmer recently had to say about the situation along the OL:

""What's really going to happen with this dead money is you're going to lose other players on your roster. I don't know how they keep Garett Bolles on this team," Palmer said via DNVR. "I know Garett thinks that. You can't pay everybody on the offensive line, you're going to have this much dead money... so there's other spots that are going to take a hit, but I think you could make a free-agent quarterback work." "

via Lance Sanderson / si.com

A post-June 1st trade this offseason would save the Denver Broncos $16 million in dead money and would force them to eat $4 million in dead money, so the team would financially benefit from moving on from the LT. Over The Cap indicates that an extension would save the Broncos $11,632,000 in 2024, so perhaps they look at that route now.

The two other points to note along the offensive line is that Lloyd Cushenberry is a free agent and could be re-signed by the team, and stud right guard Quinn Meinerz, one of the best guards in the NFL, is now eligible for a contract extension. With the cap increase, the Broncos might now prefer to keep Garett Bolles.

2. Courtland Sutton, WR

Courtland Sutton has two more years left on his deal and just wrapped up the best season of his career, setting a career-high with 10 touchdown passes, continually making circus catches nearly every week. Sutton will turn 29 in October of 2024, so he is beginning to get up there in age, which I don't think is nothing.

While Sutton is a good receiver, he's been a part of a very inconsistent WR room on the Broncos over the last several seasons. The team has rostered a ton of talent at the WR position including KJ Hamler, Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Jerry Jeudy, but all four at some point struggled with injuries or inconsistencies.

Hamler isn't with the team anymore, and Patrick has missed two-straight seasons with injuries. With Jerry Jeudy being a few years younger than Sutton, the Broncos might opt to get younger at wide receiver, and Sutton might have a large trade value than Jeudy.

However, the salary cap increase might now turn the Broncos focus to perhaps offering Courtland Sutton a contract extension for his great play during the 2023 NFL Season. Over The Cap gives the Broncos a cap savings of $9,580,000 in 2024 with an extension. Even though Sutton himself can be inconsistent at times, he does bring a ton of value to the offense, especially as a red-zone threat.

A rookie QB would definitely benefit from having Sutton at his disposal, as Sutton is also a true 50/50 ball player too, so all a QB has to do sometimes is just give Sutton a chance to make a play, as evidenced in 2023.

3. Justin Simmons, S

One move that might be unpopular is the team moving on from Justin Simmons this offseason. I have vouched for it, as it'd bring the team much needed cap savings and would also be doing right by Simmons, given that the Broncos trade him to a viable team.

Simmons had another strong year in 2023 and could certainly fetch a third-round pick. He turns 31 during the 2024 NFL Season and likely isn't going to be in the team's long-term plans, and at this point with the Broncos roster needing a ton of help, paying a safety at the top of the market is not exactly something they should be doing.

Anyway, Simmons might have a desire to remain in Denver for the future to finally be apart of the team that turns it around. You never know what conversations have been had in the Broncos facilities. Maybe Sean Payton and George Paton had previously decided that they were going to try to trade Justin Simmons for the reasons I just outlined.

A trade in 2024 would save the Denver Broncos $14.5 million in 2024, which is significant savings. With the cap being roughly $13 million higher than what originally thought, the Broncos, more or less, already have those cap savings that they would have gotten from trading Justin Simmons.

This could keep him on the roster in 2024 and beyond.