The Denver Broncos are going to be an interesting team to watch all offseason, to say the least. Aside from having to climb their way out of a salary cap hole of over $19 million (according to Spotrac), the Broncos are going to have to figure out their quarterback situation, rebuild the defensive line, and make some critical decisions all over the roster.
NFL Free Agency will officially begin when the new league year starts on March 13, but starting on March 11, free agents can agree to deals with teams in what has become known as the "legal negotiating period". Before March 11, the Broncos are going to have to have their financial ducks in a row so they can be selectively aggressive in upgrading the roster through NFL free agency.
Which players need to be cut before that time? Let's take a look at the top four names.
1. Russell Wilson, QB
Of course, we start with Russell Wilson, whose time in Denver seems to be coming to an end. Both Wilson and the Broncos have maintained throughout the course of the offseason that the door is open for a return, but I think it's pretty easy for everyone to see through all of that from both sides.
The biggest question at this point is how the Broncos will go about saying goodbye to Wilson officially. The decision to let him go became much easier with the unexpected salary cap increase, but if the Broncos decide to eat the entire $85 million in dead cap this year, it seems like it severely complicates their overall salary cap figure as opposed to making him a post-June 1 designation and splitting the dead cap between 2024 and 2025.
Ultimately, a decision on Russell Wilson needs to be made before free agency opens because the Broncos need to have a clear vision at quarterback one way or the other to pitch to prospective free agents.