Broncos free agency tracker: Where will Denver put its resources early in the NFL’s legal tampering period?
Denver Post
Let the legal tampering commence.
The NFL’s free-agency bonanza begins in earnest at 10 a.m., when teams are allowed to begin negotiating with the agents of this year’s class of unrestricted free agents.
Deals can be agreed to, though nothing is signed, sealed and delivered until after the 2024 league year begins at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The Broncos have a long list of needs but also look a lot like a team in rebuilding mode. They’ve got around $29 million in cap space to operate with after a flurry of moves.
Here’s what Denver has already done leading into Monday:
• Informed QB Russell Wilson he’s to be released when the league year begins. He’s already agreed to a one-year deal with Pittsburgh.
• Released franchise cornerstone safety Justin Simmons
• Released TE Chris Manhertz
• Restructured WR Tim Patrick’s contract for 2024 to ensure his return
• Agreed to trade WR Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland for the Nos. 135 and 202 picks in next month’s draft
• Re-signed safety P.J. Locke (two years, up to $9 million) and OL Quinn Bailey (one year, $1.055 million non-guaranteed)
It’s been a busy week. Now the next phase begins. It’ll all be covered right here in The Post’s free agency tracker.
Let’s Ride. Wait… uh, let’s roll.
8:48 a.m.: One of the most interesting situations to watch for the Broncos is, of course, the quarterback position. Denver at this point isn’t likely to shell out big bucks — Baker Mayfield is headed back to Tampa Bay on an extension and early reporting is Kirk Cousins’ negotiating priorities are Atlanta and perhaps continued talks with Minnesota.
But that doesn’t mean Denver can sit on its hands, either. Remember, a year ago it agreed to terms with Jarrett Stidham as the backup to Wilson on the first day of free agency. You don’t want to bid against yourself and go overboard, but when it comes to quarterbacks, you’re also not going to sit around too long and watch other teams sign the guy or guys you might be interested in. So, will Sean Payton, George Paton and company move quickly on somebody like San Francisco’s Sam Darnold? Or Jacoby Brissett? Or perhaps Mason Rudolph now that Wilson is headed to Pittsburgh? Or will they instead try to nab somebody like Washington’s Sam Howell in a trade?
A couple other key questions to watch: How much money is Lloyd Cushenberry going to get? Probably a lot. We know the Broncos would like to have him back, but he may have played his way out of Denver and above $10 million per season. Denver’s working to re-sign kicker Wil Lutz, sources have said, and could also look to re-unite with TE Adam Trautman, FB Mike Burton, DL Mike Purcell or perhaps others from the list of 16 outgoing free agents. — Parker Gabriel
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