Yes, the Denver Broncos do need to get younger, but that doesn't mean they should totally shy away from signing some older players if the price is right. And honestly, with some positions, age does not mean a decline in production. When you consider punters, kickers, and both offensive and defensive linemen, we constantly see players over 30 years old who are playing elite football at those respective positions.
Quarterback is another position like that as well. The Denver Broncos do have very obvious roster holes that they are going to attempt to fill in the coming offseasons. Ideally, the holes should be filled with young talent in the NFL Draft, but don't be surprised if the Broncos try to boost certain positions in free agency as well.
Among free agents that are at least 30 years old, who could the Denver Broncos target?
3 free agents over 30 the Denver Broncos should sign in 2024
1. Markus Golden, OLB, turns 33 in March
Someone with connections to Vance Joseph is Markus Golden, who can be a solid rotational pass rusher for the Denver Broncos. From 2020-2022, Golden played with Joseph on the Arizona Cardinals. In total, Golden played 42 games in Vance Joseph's defenses. In those 42 games, he totaled 16.5 sacks, 53 QB hits, and 21 tackles for loss. While he wasn't amassing a ton of sacks, he was getting to the QB pretty frequently.
In 2023, Golden again proved to be an efficient pass rusher. He played in 16 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers, racking up four sacks, six tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits. He's going to be very cheap in free agency and would be a quality, veteran pass-rushing addition, unlike Randy Gregory or Frank Clark.
2. Jon Feliciano, iOL, turned 32 in February
Someone who can be a quality depth piece and spot-starter is Jon Feliciano, who has played all along the interior of the offensive line during his career with several teams. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and has started 61 regular season games and four playoff games.
With over 100 games of experience, Feliciano can help lessen the blow of potentially losing Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency this offseason. Spotrac.com lists his 2023 contract value at $2,250,000, so he'll be a cheap addition for the Broncos to make. I do think one of the more underrated units on a roster is that backup/depth offensive line group.
When you consider someone like Feliciano, not only can be play both guard and center, but he's not a bad player, either. The Denver Broncos offensive line was a very solid unit in 2023, and there is no reason to not continue to field a quality unit in 2024. With the team likely hoping that center Alex Forsyth can develop into the starter, signing someone like Feliciano as some insurance in case Forsyth does not do that would be smart.
He's made the playoffs in six of his career seasons in the NFL, so he's got the type of experience in big games that I am sure Sean Payton would covet.
3. Jacoby Brissett, QB, turned 31 in December
The Denver Broncos can do better than Jarrett Stidham for their QB2/bridge QB position, and Jacoby Brissett is the correct answer here. Brissett has been both a full-time starter in the NFL and has backed up a young QB before, so he's got the perfect pedigree for his potential role in Denver. He's also a good QB and better than Stidham.
Across 48 career starts, Brissett has gone 18-30. Across his career, he's tossed 51 touchdowns against 23 interceptions for a respectable passer rating of 85.3. Over the last two years between the Browns and Commanders, he's thrown 15 touchdowns against six interceptions for a 92.6 passer rating.
Whether Denver would need Jacoby Brissett for half the season or just be a backup all year, he can do it. With 79 total games of experience and a solid passing career, there might not be a better bridge QB option than Brissett. According to spotrac.com, Brissett's 2023 contract was valued at $8 million this year, so he is getting paid handsomely for a backup QB role.
And that is what a high-end backup QB costs in the NFL today. The Denver Broncos can cut Jarrett Stidham pretty easily this offseason and make the flip to Brissett.