Which Denver Broncos players could be entering their final year with the team in 2024? One of the toughest parts of being a fan of an NFL team is the attachment you grow to specific players. Sometimes it's impossible to know when teams are going to decide to move on from players and start fresh, but in other cases, you can see it coming from miles away.
There are a number of players on the Denver Broncos roster in 2024 who won't likely be around in 2025. The team has a wide variety of impending free agents in 2025 and a whole lot of cap space to work with.
Let's take a look at a handful of players who probably aren't in the team's future plans beyond this season.
4 players definitely entering their final year as Broncos in 2024
1. Jarrett Stidham, QB
At this point, it feels like the writing is really on the wall for quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
The Broncos used their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on quarterback Bo Nix, who is the presumed quarterback of the future for this team. Sean Payton has never used a 1st or even 2nd-round pick on the quarterback position in his time as an NFL head coach, so the acquisition of Nix in that pick slot is substantial.
Stidham was signed in the 2023 offseason to a two-year contract worth $10 million as the Broncos saw starter traits in the former Raiders and Patriots quarterback. Stidham backed up Russell Wilson during his first year in Denver and then replaced him as the starter for the final two games last year.
There's no doubt that Stidham has talent but his status with the Broncos is really in limbo beyond this year. If Bo Nix is the starter in 2024 -- and we expect he will be -- Stidham would have to re-sign in Denver knowing he's the backup. I see him leaving in 2025 for the possibility to compete for a starter spot elsewhere.
2. Samaje Perine, RB
The running back position is going to be one of the most interesting position groups to watch in the 2024 offseason for the Denver Broncos.
Javonte Williams is coming off of a pretty bad year overall despite leading the team in yards from scrimmage and having more than double the touches of any other player on the roster. We'll see how much the team believes in him this year after he struggled to average even three yards per carry for the entire second half of the 2023 season.
Samaje Perine was the Broncos' leader (among running backs) in yards per touch at 6.7 and he came through with some really clutch plays in two-minute situations, including some big moments during the Broncos' five-game winning streak last year. Perine's trustworthiness in those two-minute situations has led me to believe he's going to be a tough player to cut in 2024, but his contract expires after this season.
The Broncos landed former Notre Dame star Audric Estimé in the 5th round of the 2024 NFL Draft despite apparently having a 3rd-round grade on him (according to Sean Payton). With Estimé in the mix and Javonte Williams hopefully having a bounce-back season, the Broncos also figure to get Jaleel McLaughlin involved.
It's fair to wonder how much longer a player like Perine is going to be around, even with his experience in big games and the ability to be such a weapon in the passing game.
3. DJ Jones, DL
One area of the Denver Broncos' roster that absolutely had to get revamped in the 2024 offseason was the defensive line. There were rumors and rumblings that the team could move on from starter DJ Jones, a big-money free agent pickup in the 2022 offseason from the 49ers, thanks to his high cap hit and low dead money figure.
Ultimately, the Broncos made sacrifices elsewhere on the roster, knowing and understanding that Jones has to be part of the solution going forward, even if the defensive line as a whole was a problem in 2023.
The hope is that Jones can be part of the solution going forward, and there's a chance that will extend beyond this year if he plays well enough. But Jones is going to be 30 next offseason and is slated to hit free agency.
The Broncos already have Zach Allen under contract (on a big-money deal) and they acquired John Franklin-Myers in a trade with the New York Jets before signing him to a new two-year contract as well. The price is going to. have to be right to bring DJ Jones back into the mix. In 16 games last season, he was credited with 46 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and a career-high three forced fumbles.
It felt like Jones got better as the season wore along last year, and hopefully he will be even better in 2024 with Vance Joseph shifting to more of an attacking scheme on the defensive front.
Still, with two guys on bigger deals in 2025, the Broncos might be inclined to go a little younger on the defensive line next offseason and maybe even make a big splash there in free agency.
4. Courtland Sutton, WR
We just can't quit talking about the future of Courtland Sutton, can we?
Part of the reason why Sutton is not pleased with his current contract situation is the fact that if nothing changes, he's sort of low-hanging fruit to be let go in the 2025 offseason. He's set to account nearly $18 million against the Broncos' salary cap with just under $4 million in dead cap. The Broncos could save $14 million by getting his deal off the books.
For Sutton, he wants the added security of some more guaranteed money this year (at least) if the Broncos are just going to cut him loose next offseason when he has no guaranteed money left on his deal. One way or another, it's hard to see Sutton returning to Denver with a near-$18 million cap hit in 2025, which is why I put him on this list.
Until something changes with Sutton's contract going forward, it's probably safe to assume he won't be around beyond this season. The Broncos would be committing to a 30-plus-year-old receiver at nearly $18 million and that doesn't make any sense unless Sutton goes out and has another year in 2024 like we saw from him in 2019. But even then, that was going on five years ago now. Times have changed.
The tough part about this situation is that Tim Patrick is also slated to hit 2025 NFL free agency. The Broncos will be in a position at this time next year where the top receivers on the team could be Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims, and Troy Franklin depending on what else happens.
We could potentially see another light reset or at least one big-money addition that is younger than either Sutton or Patrick.