No NFL team can pay everyone, and that's going to be the case for the Denver Broncos. The salary cap does make it so teams have to get a bit creative and sometimes make some tough decisions. During the bye week, the Denver Broncos extended a trio of players in Malcolm Roach, Wil Lutz, and Luke Wattenberg.
But other key free agents like JK Dobbins, Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, and John Franklin-Myers may or may not get deals. It's hard to say who else the Broncos decide to pay, as the external free agency class could provide the team with chances to upgrade at key positions.
JFM has been a fan favorite with the Broncos and is also a very good player. He's a high-floor player who produces year in and year out, and it's clear that many fans want him back. His teammates feel the same way, too. However, there is a reason why the Broncos did not extend JFM during the bye, and his next landing spot is actually quite obvious.
John Franklin-Myers reuniting with Robert Saleh makes a lot of sense
John Franklin-Myers really began to play the best football of his career in the 2021 NFL Season with the New York Jets. That also happened to be the first year of Robert Saleh's tenure as the New York Jets head coach, and about five years later, Saleh is with the Tennessee Titans as the team's new head coach.
Saleh also once called John Franklin-Myers the 'ambassador of violence,' so the coach has a clear appreciation for the player. The Broncos took Sai'vion Jones was a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he's surely someone the Broncos are looking at to fill a likely void at DE.
The same could be true for Enyi Uwazurike, who had a nice season for the Broncos as a rotational player. You also have to consider the strong possibility that the Broncos splurge on the offensive side of the ball, so the team could opt to allot more cap space to a position like running back or wide receiver.
Denver is already spending a ton of money on defense, but they're not spending much at all on weapons on the offensive side. The defense is a massive strength, but the offense needs to catch up a bit, so a John Franklin-Myers departure from the Broncos in free agency is very likely.