Lloyd Cushenberry, Denver Broncos
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Lloyd Cushenberry III #79 of the Denver Broncos.
If things go the way they’ve gone the last 2 seasons, former Denver Broncos center and 17-game starter Lloyd Cushenberry could very well get a shot at his old team with the season on the line.
Cushenberry, 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, signed a free-agent contract with the Buffalo Bills on Thursday. The Broncos and Bills have met in the AFC Playoffs the last 2 seasons, with the Bills winning in the AFC Wild Card Round following the 2024 season and the Broncos winning in overtime in the AFC Divisional Round following the 2025 season.
“TheBills are signing former Broncos and Titans C Lloyd Cushenberry,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account.
Finances Forced Lloyd Cushenberry Out of Denver
Staring down $85 million in dead cap money spread out over the 2024 and 2025 seasons after cutting quarterback Russell Wilson, the Broncos were forced to make some tough financial decisions following the 2023 season.
One of the toughest decisions came when they watched Cushenberry leave for a 4-year, $50 million free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.
After 2 seasons, Cushenberry found himself back on the open market in a surprising turn of events.
“TheTitans are releasing starting center Lloyd Cushenberry, sources say, moving on from a former big-ticket free agent from 2024,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on X on February 25. “He signed a 4-year, $50M deal two years ago and was due $8M this season. Now, Cam Ward will have a new center … Cushenberry is coming off shoulder surgery, but should be fully good to go for the 2026 season.”
Broncos Replaced With Big-Money Center
The Broncos replaced Cushenberry with Luke Wattenberg after his exit, with Wattenberg eventually landing his own massive payday.
“Broncos let Lloyd Cushenberry hit the open market and he got paid,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on X. “Broncos then replaced him with Luke Wattenberg, who then they gave a big contract, too.”
The Broncos have made the playoffs in each of the last 2 seasons without Cushenberry, and found a long-term plan at center in the process with Wattenberg, who signed a 4-year, $48 million contract in November 2025.
Cushenberry got every cent of the $30 million in guaranteed money in his contract with the Titans and has approximately $36 million in career earnings.
The Titans are in the midst of a massive rebuilding effort under 1st year head coach Robert Saleh and went into free agency with over $100 million in cap space.
“Can confirm the Titans have released CLloyd Cushenberry,” NFL reporter Easton Freeze wrote on his official X account. “There was a team ‘out’ in his 4 year/$50M contract after year 2, and GM Mike Borgonzi has chosen to take it. It saves them $3.4M in cap space in 2026, with a dead cap charge of $9M.”
Starred on Legendary College Football Squad
Cushenberry was 1 of the stars on arguably the greatest college football team of all time in 2019 at LSU, where he teamed with future fellow NFL stars like quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
That year, the Tigers went 15-0 on the way to winning the College Football Playoff national championship and set NCAA records with 726 total points and 8,526 yards while averaging 48.4 points and 568.4 yards per game.