Sean Payton's vision for the Denver Broncos has been deliberate and refreshing

Part 3: Responsibly handed financials with Russell Wilson contract fallout

The Denver Broncos have had to take it easy with their financials given the fallout of the Russell Wilson contract. The NFL-record dead cap hit of $85 million is what Denver has to deal with. They'll spread the higher-valued number over this year and take on the remaining $32 million next offseason.

The Broncos did not spend a ton in free agency, signing several players to modest deals. But they still did have a free agency need, as their roster had holes coming into this offseason. It's not like Denver could have done nothing; they especially needed reinforcements along the defensive line and in the secondary.

But Sean Payton and GM George Paton were clearly careful with their cap space, not going crazy and still giving the team a ton of room to breath in 2025. Denver still managed to add respectable talent in free agency. Denver could have signed a splash player, but they took the wiser route and did not.

Part 3.5: Invested modestly in free agency to improve roster + new offensive core in 2024 NFL Draft

As I just indicated, the Broncos invested modestly in free agency, but attacked the 2024 NFL Draft in hopes of building for the future. The big fish here was Bo Nix with the 12th overall pik, but Denver also added Audric Estime at running back and Troy Franklin at wide receiver

These new, young faces on offense ideally contribute for the long-term. Denver taking a first-round QB also indicated that the team does indeed want to try to put in a long-term plan in place. Adding other young players on offense and addressing remaining needs on defense in the 2024 NFL Draft furthered this thought.