The Denver Broncos are setting themselves up nicely for the 2026 NFL Offseason, as this team has taken care of a slew of players who were set to be free agents. Guys like Wil Lutz, Luke Wattenberg, and Malcolm Roach all got extensions over the team's bye.
Denver obviously has other free agents, but there isn't any reason to believe that some of them won't return. When you look at this roster overall, the Broncos are also in a position where they don't have to panic-sign anyone, and there is a legitimate chance they go big-fish hunting for a major offensive addition.
But we're going to focus on the defensive side of the ball here, as the elephant in the room for a while now has been the status of John Franklin-Myers, Denver's talented defensive end who is slated to be a free agent in 2026. Many Broncos fans have wanted Denver to extend JFM, but it might not be in the cards since Denver has paid just about everyone else along the defensive line. Well, could his projected free agency contract make the Broncos rethink?
John Franklin-Myers' projected free agent contract should be appealing to Denver
According to spotrac.com, the projected contract for John Franklin-Myers is a two-year deal worth about $15 million, which is the contract he is currently playing on. The Broncos have gotten to work paying just about everybody on the defensive line, so there was bound to be someone who was left out of the run.
Furthermore, Denver used a third-round pick on Sai'vion Jones in the 2025 NFL Draft. Jones actually has very similar measurables to Franklin-Myers, and it's not crazy to think that Jones is the team's other starting defensive end in 2026.
Just look at the Eagles, for example - Philly was not able to pay guys like Milton Williams and Josh Sweat, as both players departed in free agency last offseason. With Denver obviously not having unlimited money, they may have already made up their mind on JFM.
But if this contract projection is at all accurate, the Broncos have to strongly consider re-signing Franklin-Myers ASAP, as he was clearly the missing piece on the defensive line, and it's probably no coincidence that Zach Allen's play skyrocketed when JFM entered the equation.
John Franklin-Myers seems to be a fan favorite among the fanbase. Should the Broncos work to re-sign him before he hits the open market?