It should come as no surprise, but when Broncos defensive end John Franklin-Myers made a Wednesday appearance on NFL Network, he sounded like a man who’s already moved on to his next destination with his foray into free agency looming on March 9 with the opening of the NFL’s “legal-tampering” period.
Yes, at one point, Franklin-Myers did refer to Denver by saying, “whether I’m there or not.” But he also referred to “wherever I go next” in his conversation with two personalities on the network, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
And with some certainty likely set to come his way within the next seven days, Franklin-Myers seemed relaxed as he spoke about his future.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think it’s stress,” he said during the on-air appearance. “I mean, we put the work in, and I know what I’m capable of.
“I know what I’m going to do wherever I go next. I’m going to play my style of football. I’m going to play physical. I’m going to play with effort, and I’m going to play with violence and that’s what I do; that’s how I play. And wherever I go, that’s what they can get.”
What the Broncos got over the last two seasons after acquiring Franklin-Myers from the New York Jets was the best football of his career to date: 14.5 sacks and 33 quarterback hits over two seasons. His single-season sack tallies of 7.0 in 2024 and 7.5 a season later were the highest of his career as he became a stalwart along the Broncos’ defensive line.
But while contract extensions for fellow defensive linemen D.J. Jones, Zach Allen and Malcolm Roach arrived over the last 12 months, nothing came for Franklin-Myers.
COULD A REUNION BE IN PLAY FOR FRANKLIN-MYERS
So, when former Jets teammate Jermaine Johnson — recently traded to the Tennessee Titans — tweeted at Franklin-Myers with the message, “Next Wednesday coming soon…” referring to the official start date of free agency, Franklin-Myers’ response arched eyebrows.
All Franklin-Myers could do when that tweet arose on his NFL Network appearance was smile.
“I mean — nah, man, that’s the best part of football, is the relationships that you create. And, man, Jermaine is a friend for life, a brother for life. Man, it’s amazing hearing from him,” Franklin-Myers said.
“And, man, everybody — my teammates are like family to me, and so, I appreciate it so much. And who knows how this is all going to go, whether it’s Tennessee or anywhere else, I mean, I’m excited to go play football. I’m excited to continue to do what I love each and every day, for real.”
But Tennessee is a place where his former coach with the Jets, Robert Saleh, landed as the new man in charge. It’s a spot that could use some veteran leadership from a locker room that knows about success and culture.
For now, though, Franklin-Myers will play it cool and coy.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s an interesting process,” he said. “Again, my first time going through the process, so … I’m a Bronco right now and until tampering period, I truly don’t know anything and so excited to see how it goes.
“I mean, again, I truly have no idea about the process and that’s really all I can say.”
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