Day three of OTAs is in the book for Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, and while most the team has worked together and built chemistry on the field, there are a few stragglers who weren’t present for the voluntary workouts down at Dove Valley.
One of those players who hasn’t been at OTAs is John Franklin-Myers, the defensive end who had seven sacks for the orange and blue in 2024. The 28-year-old is still under contract with the Broncos for one more season, and his absence is related more towards the fact that he’s in Texas working on his game instead of sitting out.
This move is not a surprise for Payton and the Broncos, as it has been known since the start of the month that JFM would not be at this first stint of OTAs. He could be around for next week’s practices, but should be there for mandatory minicamp from June 10-12.
#Broncos DE John Franklin-Myers is spending several weeks this spring working out with pass-rush specialist BT Jordan in Dallas. Although JFM hasn’t been at Broncos offseason workouts, he could attend 2nd OTA session June 3-5 & definitely will be at June 10-12 mandatory minicamp.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 3, 2025
However, the contract could be a small aspect of the absence, as he recently reposted a fan saying that he deserves to get paid by George Paton and the Broncos.
@J_FranklinMyers was an absolute beast for our defense last year. He deserves an extension, PAY THE MAN his money. 💰
— Haysuess (@suess303) May 3, 2025
When asked about his pass rusher after Broncos practice on Thursday, Payton was not worried about his absence at all, and gave a quick response when asked about the conversations he’s had with Franklin-Myers over the offseason.
“They’ve been all good. All good,” Payton said after Broncos practice on Thursday.
Payton’s also not surprised that Franklin-Myers isn’t in Dove Valley this week.
“No, this is all voluntary. He’s had a good offseason.”
Even if he’s not around for next week’s round of OTAs, Broncos fans shouldn’t worry about his status. The world will know if there’s an issue between JFM and the Broncos if he’s not in uniform when June 10 rolls around.
This isn’t a situation like Trey Hendrickson’s with the Cincinnati Bengals, as he’s a guy who deserves to get paid like a top pass rusher in the league. Hendrickson has been holding out and making his opinions public, while his teammates have been backing him up. The relationship between both sides in this scenario in Denver is healthy, and this absence was known about long before anyone stepped onto the field.
OTAs for the Broncos will pick back up on Tuesday after they’ve had practice the last three days. The first week saw a lot of connections being built with the new additions to the team such as Talanoa Hufanga and Evan Engram, along with the old faces like Courtland Sutton still doing his thing.