Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag weekly during the season and periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
Hey Parker, I know we’re still paying Russell Wilson this year. How long is that going to continue and how much are we going to have extra to spend next year?
— Mike, Denver
Hey Mike, thanks for writing in and good question. One distinction here: The Broncos are no longer actually paying Russell Wilson. They are, however, still accounting for his money on their salary cap this year.
Denver paid Wilson the final $37.79 million it owed him last year. That represented their share of the $39 million guaranteed he was owed for 2024. Pittsburgh somehow scraped together the other $1.21 million.
What is left, though, is Wilson’s remaining cap charge of $32 million. Remember the salary cap basics at play here: Every dollar you actually spend on a player has to be accounted for on the cap at some point, even if you structure a contract to push those charges into the future. So Denver ultimately paid Wilson just short of $124 million. That’s how much was guaranteed when he signed the five-year, $245 million extension before the 2022 season. Funny enough, those negotiations are part of a fascinating document just published this week by Pablo Torre regarding collusion charges levied against the NFL by the NFL Players Association.
So, $124 million guaranteed, but Wilson’s cap numbers were relatively modest in 2022 ($17 million) and 2023 ($22 million) because of how the deal was structured. Then, of course, the Broncos cut him. The remaining $85 million in cap responsibilities don’t just disappear, though. So Denver took $53 million last year and has the remaining $32 million on its books this year.
Beginning with the 2026 season, they are free and clear of all cap charges related to Wilson.
For as massive as that $85 million number is, the Broncos turned it into essentially a best-case scenario. They made the postseason during the most burdensome year and now have more flexibility this year and even more going into the future.
As crazy as it sounds, being clear of the Russ charges next year will help the Broncos set up for life after Bo Nix’s rookie contract assuming he continues on a track toward being Denver’s long-term answer at quarterback.
Life comes at you fast in the NFL.
Which undrafted free agent has the best shot of making the Broncos opening day roster?
And in your estimation, which Broncos position group seems a bit weak and needs work?
— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
Hey Ed, interesting questions. Second one first. The Broncos’ overall roster depth is much improved. I got a similar question earlier this offseason and said offensive tackle and outside linebacker would both be tested in a major way if a top guy missed extensive time with an injury. Doesn’t mean that Alex Palczewski on offense or Jonah Elliss on defense couldn’t really come into his own and play well, but it’d be a major challenge. Inside linebacker can also be put in that group. Obviously getting Dre Greenlaw helps a lot, but he and Singleton are both working toward full health now. Justin Strnad played a ton last year and mostly held up well, but relying on him and Cody Barton for a big chunk of last year after Singleton tore his ACL is part of what made the Broncos more susceptible in the middle of the field as the season went along. There’s certainly no reason to count Drew Sanders out yet, but he’s a question mark at this point.
As far as undrafted free agents go, you can start by following the bonus money and figure that those guys are at least pretty safe bets for the practice squad. In that camp you’re talking about guys like OLB Johnny Walker Jr., inside linebacker Karene Reid and JB Brown and offensive linemen Xavier Truss and Clay Webb. Of course, barring a run of injuries both the offensive line and outside linebacker rooms are going to be tough to crack in terms of the 53-man roster. The ILBs are decent bets but I’ll throw a tryout guy in the mix, too, in Jordan Turner. The Broncos have two veteran inside linebackers as starters — assuming good health — who are not going to play much special teams most likely. That might leave a 53-man spot at the back of the roster if somebody stands out on special teams during camp.
Outside of Bo Nix and Pat Surtain II, who do you think will be with the team for a long time? I’d love to get another jersey this year, but I don’t want to see it become outdated in a year or two. Thanks.
— Phil G., Denver
Hey Phil, good question. Figure a No. 77 jersey would be a pretty safe buy. Quinn Meinerz is terrific, still young and under contract for several years. Obviously a lot can happen, but from here he looks like a guy who’d be in line for a third contract. Do you like the double-number look? If so, you’re probably safe getting a No. 99, too. Zach Allen’s going into a contract year but if you were to handicap who gets an extension first out of the eligible group, he’d be a pretty good bet. If you want to be safe, you could wait until that gets done. Same goes for Nik Bonitto.
Otherwise, there are a bunch of young players who could stick for years to come. Marvin Mims Jr., Riley Moss or heck, Jahdae Barron all figure to have good staying power. You never know given the injury history and the fact that the Broncos don’t have a ton of true obligation after this year, but if you’re willing to roll the dice a bit, I bet Talanoa Hufanga will be a popular one this fall once fans see him in action.
How much do you think we need to pay to keep Nik Bonitto on the team? He was beastly last year. And is this Alex Singleton’s last year with us? I love his energy, but he turns 32 this year and is coming off a ruptured ACL.
— Vince, Westminster
Hey Vince, good questions. Bonitto’s going to be an interesting case. Obviously top-end pass-rushers get paid premium dollars. Bonitto’s a little short on track record, but last year he played like one of the best in the business.
What will be interesting is if a long-term extension gets done before the season or if it goes into the fall. He’s going to be in a different pay bracket than Jonathon Cooper, but perhaps the approach to an extension could be similar. Remember, Cooper began last fall playing on the last year of his rookie deal. He continued to show progress overall in his game, made himself more money and was rewarded with a four-year, $60 million extension midseason.
Bonitto could get done later this summer, but I don’t think it would be a shock if he followed the Cooper path.
As for the price tag, currently there’s a gap in average annual value between the top seven (all $28 million per year and up to Myles Garrett’s $40 million per) and the next tier (Montez Sweat and Rashan Gary in the $24 million range). Dallas’ Micah Parsons will reset the market again at some point in the near future, whenever the Cowboys decide they’ve driven up the price on themselves enough.
No inside information here, but if you told me Bonitto jumped into or just ahead of the Sweat/Gary neighborhood but short of T.J. Watt territory at $28 million per year, that’d sound about right to me.
So how about just a plain old four years and $100 million?
As for Singleton, it’s obviously an important season for him. I still think if anything there’s a chance the Broncos could ask him to take a pay cut this year during camp once he’s shown he’s healthy. He carries a $6.9 million cap hit and has no guaranteed money.
There could be room for it to work for both sides, though. Singleton could take a slight cut this year and get guaranteed money and perhaps another year or two on his deal in return. That’ll be one to at least keep an eye on in camp.
Bottom line: It could well be the last season Singleton’s a Bronco, but there’s also plenty of reason to think he could stick longer than that and it’s worth pointing out there’s no surefire heir apparent inside behind he and Greenlaw, either.
Parker, you’ve been a newspaper reporter covering Nebraska and Broncos football. What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned in reporting football to the readers?
— David Brown, Silverthorne
Hey David, there are so many things I could go on at length about, but let’s keep it to a quick one.
Not always, but generally speaking I’ve found that if I think something’s interesting, somebody else out there does, too. One of the very coolest parts about this job is if something happens — a play or a sequence or a roster move or a contract structure or literally anything regarding the NFL — that I think is interesting, I get to go to the people directly involved and ask them about it.
Sometimes those are high-profile moments. Wilson getting benched or the factors that will drive a stadium decision or a blocked field goal that cost the Broncos a game at Kansas City last year. Or it could be something extremely random, like why Meinerz and Ben Powers use a goofy looking — but apparently very effective — stance on extra points and field goals.
Covering Nebraska and the Broncos definitely have some similarities, not least of which is that there are a lot of talented people covering both organizations on a daily basis. So part of the challenge is coming up with stuff that not everybody is writing. If you do that, there’s a lot of room to operate. We’ve got a bunch of people on this beat across outlets who are good at that. So you’re always trying to expand and do better and all that, but also it’s important to kind of trust your gut and find your own lane, so to speak, and maximize that.
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