There's no question that NFL free agency can often be a cautionary tale for NFL teams. Winning in the offseason does not always equate to winning when it matters most. For the Denver Broncos, however, NFL free agency has been quite a useful form of team-building.
The Denver Broncos have made some of the best moves in NFL history when it comes to free agency, and that's not just hyperbole from a Denver Broncos fan site. Some of these moves are inarguably the best in league history when it comes to free agency, and one of them might be the greatest free agent acquisition in pro sports history.
You probably already know exactly what I'm talking about. We're going to take a trip down memory lane with NFL Free Agency on deck this offseason at the five best free agent moves made in Denver Broncos history.
Top 5 free agent signings in Denver Broncos history
5. Ed McCaffrey, WR (1995)
To the younger generation of NFL fans, Ed McCaffrey might be better known for his role as "dad" than he is known for his abilities as a playmaker on the field. McCaffrey is obviously the father of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, one of the best and most dynamic playmakers in the league. Although Christian is the prototype NFL running back of the day, his dad was a lanky, 6-foot-5 receiver with reliable hands.
The Broncos acquired McCaffrey as a free agent in 1995 when he came to the Mile High City after playing for the 49ers himself. When he was with the 49ers in 1994, his offensive coordinator was none other than Mike Shanahan.
When Shanahan became head coach of the Denver Broncos in 1995, he brought McCaffrey with him. That 1995 offseason also included the drafting of Terrell Davis in the sixth round out of Georgia. I guess you could call 1995 a pretty good year in Denver Broncos history, all things considered.
The acquisition of Ed McCaffrey, who had started just four games in his first four NFL seasons, ended up being a near-decade-long investment for the Broncos. McCaffrey, along with Rod Smith, helped give the Denver Broncos one of the best wide receiver duos in the league and he caught 462 passes for 6,200 yards and 46 touchdowns for the Broncos, helping the team to two Super Bowl wins.
4. Jake Plummer, QB (2003)
Jake Plummer doesn't get nearly enough love as one of the best free agent pickups in Denver Broncos history. Although he was only with the team from 2003-06, Plummer undoubtedly made his mark.
When he was signed in the 2003 offseason, the Broncos were a few years removed from winning a Super Bowl in the 1998 season. The team had tried to move on to its own draft pick -- Brian Griese -- after John Elway retired, but it didn't work out. The 2002 Broncos were 9-7 as a team but in four years as the starter, Brian Griese had thrown 52 interceptions including 34 from 2001-02.
The Broncos decided to sign Jake "The Snake" when he became available after starting his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, and the 2003-06 Denver Broncos included some of the most complete and well-rounded teams in Broncos franchise history.
Specifically, the 2005 Broncos had "The Snake" in some MVP talks for a bit. Plummer made the Pro Bowl in 2005 as the Broncos rolled to a 13-3 regular season record. He set a franchise record that year for passes thrown without an interception. Although that team got to 13-3 much differently than the 2013 Denver Broncos, that offense was an absolute blast to watch every single week, seemingly having their way with any defense and Plummer operating the whole thing in-step with Mike Shanahan and Gary Kubiak masterfully.
That team would become the first to ever beat Tom Brady in the playoffs. Unfortunately, that was Plummer's only win in the playoffs as a Bronco. Despite a stroke of good fortune that landed the Broncos a home game in the AFC Championship against the Steelers, they collapsed and the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.
Plummer's time as a Bronco ended rather unceremoniously when he was benched for Jay Cutler, but the Broncos were 39-15 with Plummer under center, and he brought the franchise to its highest point post-John Elway (at the time).
3. Aqib Talib, CB (2014)
Everything about Aqib Talib screamed "Mike Shanahan signing" at the time the Denver Broncos grabbed him. Perhaps John Elway channeled his inner Shanahan for this particular move when the Broncos were coming off of one of the most recent embarrassing Super Bowl defeats in franchise history.
The drubbing at the hand of the Seattle Seahawks clearly convinced John Elway that his defensive unit needed much more attitude, speed, physicality, and playmaking ability. He was right, of course, but the initial thought was to use their primary NFL free agency assets that offseason on cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
The Broncos signed DRC in the 2013 offseason seemingly for pennies on the dollar. He played so well that he was about to land a big-money deal from Denver, until Elway decided to put the full-court press on the talented but troubled Talib.
Talib had been in trouble with the NFL on a variety of occasions prior to his arrival in Denver. The former first-round pick out of Kansas was a bit of a loose canon even though he was an outstanding football player. He had 23 interceptions from 2008-2013, and Elway must have had a hunch that Talib's ability to create turnovers was going to only get better as he hit his prime, starting in 2014.
And he was right.
Talib ended up playing four incredible seasons for the Broncos, picking off 11 passes and returning six of them for touchdowns. He was one of the most dynamic playmakers for the Denver defense and helped the team have one of the most dominant defensive seasons in league history in 2015.
The king of the pick-six, the chain snatcher, and one of the biggest personalities on one of the greatest Denver Broncos teams ever should go down in history as one of the biggest risk-reward moves in NFL Free Agency to truly pay off.
2. DeMarcus Ware, EDGE (2014)
The Denver Broncos' 2014 NFL Free Agency class was legendary. The best in NFL history, if you ask me.
That class included the aforementioned Aqib Talib, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, safety TJ Ward, and, of course, DeMarcus Ware. When the Dallas Cowboys cut Ware, he immediately became the top focus of the Denver Broncos who were after a number of other prominent free agents that offseason like Jared Allen, Michael Johnson, and Everson Griffen.
It's a good thing Ware's reputation preceded him.
The Broncos were obviously coming off of the embarrassing Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks, but worse than that (in some ways) was the apparent downslide of Von Miller. Miller was the NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2011. He was arguably the league's best defensive player in 2012. Then he was popped for a six-game suspension in 2013 for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
After he came back from suspension, Miller did not look like himself -- quite literally. He came back much bigger than anyone was used to seeing him, and he wasn't nearly as effective with his added bulk. he then tore his ACL near the end of the 2013 season, so the Broncos didn't even have their best defensive player for their playoff run that year. What could have been...
As much as the Broncos needed a stud like Ware on the opposite side of Miller, Miller also couldn't have asked for a better mentor to come into his life at the absolute perfect time. Ware took Miller under his wing, and the two became a dominant force off the edge.
In the 2015 playoffs, Ware and Miller combined for 8.5 sacks and 18 QB hits in three games. It was remarkable to see. Not only were Miller and Ware getting hits and sacks, they were applying constant pressure every single snap. Their 2015 playoff run will forever be remembered as one of the greatest by a duo of pass rushers that you'll ever see.
Ware played three seasons in Denver, but undoubtedly made his mark as one of the best free agent signings in team history.
1. Peyton Manning, QB (2012)
I mean, what really needs to be said here?
Signing Peyton Manning wasn't just a cool thing that happened to the Denver Broncos. It was more of a "where were you when it happened?" sort of thing. It's one of the most significant offseason moves in Denver Broncos and NFL history.
Peyton Manning, a living legend, cut by the Indianapolis Colts because of a perfect set of circumstances. The Colts had the chance to draft Andrew Luck after Manning missed the 2011 season with five neck procedures. The guy could barely grip a football but had one of the most historically documented free agency pursuits of all-time.
Manning chose the Denver Broncos, and as of that fateful day in March, 2012, the Broncos were officially reborn as one of the elite franchises in the NFL. After more than a decade of struggling since John Elway retired, Elway himself pulled off the greatest free agent signing in NFL history by bringing in Manning, who almost instantly played at an MVP level for the Broncos.
In four years, the Broncos lost just 12 games on Manning's watch. He threw 37 touchdown passes in 2012 followed by a still-standing NFL-record 55 in 2013. The 2013 season was something you might do playing a Madden video game.
Manning ended up throwing a whopping 140 touchdowns in four seasons with the Broncos. He led the team to two Super Bowl appearances and one victory. Okay, he may have been dragged to the victory, but Manning was still the shot in the arm the team needed at the end of that 2015 season.
There's no amount of hyperbole you could conjure up to adequately describe the Peyton Manning era in Denver. All you can do is marvel at the fact that it actually happened.