The Denver Broncos were once in a very tough salary cap spot after cutting Russell Wilson following the 2023 NFL Season. Cutting Wilson meant the team had to take on what was, at the time, an NFL-record $85 million in dead cap money. That was spread across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and with the 2025 season officially being over, the Wilson contract is also, officially, off the Broncos books.
However, the team does have a ton of big-time deals on the roster, so this team has been taking advantage of the Wilson contract-less financials and having a franchise quarterback on his rookie deal. It's all worked out nearly perfectly for this franchise.
And, after a slight contract tweak, the Broncos are suddenly sporting a good bit of cap space, perhaps setting the stage for another major move.
Denver Broncos suddenly have the 8th-most cap space in the NFL
The Broncos quietly created another $4 million in cap space thanks to this move:
When the #Broncos gave Pat Surtain II the recent raise, they converted his base salary for 2026 and future years to option bonuses, per NFLPA data and source.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) June 10, 2026
According to OTC, Surtain's 2026 cap drops to $12.698 million (down about $4 mil) and is lower in future years, too.
And now, according to Over The Cap, the Broncos sit at just under $30 million in cap space, which is not only good for the 8th-most in the NFL, but it's also good for the 5th-most in the AFC. Not only are the Broncos the most talented team in the conference, but they're also in a great position financially, which is flat-out amazing, and it feels like a dream.
But, what big move could be on the horizon? There is always a chance that the Broncos take to the free agency market to pursue a late-offseason addition, but that type of move would not impact the team's financials that much.
For example, if the team were to sign Von Miller, he'd likely land a deal around $5 million for one year. He signed a one-year deal worth just over $6 million with the Washington Commanders last offseason. Since we're approaching the middle of June, there aren't any big-time free agents left on the market.
This would then have to force us to look for a potential trade as another big-time move. There doesn't appear to be any indication that the Broncos have a big deal in the works, but that appeared to be the case with the Jaylen Waddle trade - it came out of nowhere, almost.
And roster-wise, the Broncos don't really have a major weakness or a reason to go out and make another big-time move. You could argue that both inside linebacker and tight end could still use a boost, but who would be out there?
Jordyn Brooks of the Miami Dolphins is an All-Pro player and is in the final year of his deal. Since the Dolphins got to work this offseason beginning a rebuild, there surely is a non-zero chance that he gets dealt, and since Miami and Denver already worked together once, I struggle to see why they'd not be able to work together again.
At tight end, though, it's less clear. The best tight ends in the NFL likely aren't going anywhere, and it'd be hard to imagine that the Arizona Cardinals, for example, would trade Trey McBride, their young stud who might be the best in the game right now.
Even with a potential big-time move not being clear at the moment, that possibility is on the table for the Broncos, as they have the available financial resources to make it happen.
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