Welcome to NFL free agency.
The league’s two-day negotiating window opens at 10 a.m. Monday and runs through the official start of the new league year at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
During this time, the Broncos and other NFL clubs can negotiate directly with unrestricted free agents and agree to, but not formally sign, new contracts. Deals can be formalized once the new league year starts.
The Broncos have plenty of work to do, with 17 unrestricted free agents set to hit the market and a trio of veterans released Friday to create cap space.
Denver enters free agency with, according to Over the Cap data, around $32.56 million in salary cap space to work with. That’s seventh-most in the NFL. When taking into consideration the small pool the Broncos will likely need to sign a draft class devoid of picks in the first two rounds, only Chicago, Atlanta and Las Vegas enter free agency with more room to work with than George Paton, Sean Payton and the Broncos’ front office.
Follow along with this updating blog for all of the latest in Broncos free agency news.
First, a couple of quick hitters:
What are the Broncos’ positions of need?
Offensive line leads the pack. Denver has five free agents up front and also cut Glasgow. They could aim for one of several accomplished right tackles who are on the market, but they will also need to fill out depth on the interior as well.
Denver also has needs at running back and tight end and may explore the market at receiver, as well.
Defensively, the Broncos may well lose defensive end Dre’Mont Jones, who is expected to have a robust market. They’ll be looking for defensive line help and could also look to edge, inside linebacker (Alex Singleton or somebody else), and both corner and safety. Essentially any spot on defense is in the realm of possibility, though front-line help figures to be near the top of the list.
How much salary cap space does Denver have?
The Broncos cleared more than $26 million in 2023 space on Friday by releasing OL Graham Glasgow, CB Ronald Darby and RB Chase Edmonds. They can clear substantially more if needed by restructuring contracts. As of Monday morning, Denver has approximately $32.56 million in cap space.
Updates:
7:25 p.m.: NFL Network reports Seattle is set to sign former Broncos defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones. Jones’ market was always going to be robust given his production over four years in Denver. When the Broncos didn’t franchise tag him last week, it became a tall task to think Denver was going to get him re-signed.
6:52 p.m.: Now the defensive players are rolling in.
The Broncos, a league source confirmed, are set to sign Arizona defensive end Zach Allen to a three-year deal. ESPN reported the contract is worth up to $45.75 million and comes with $32 million guaranteed.
Allen is the sixth player Denver has agreed to terms with on the first day of free agency. The first time through this part of the calendar for the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group comes with more than $128 million in guaranteed money on Day 1. Read the full story.
5:07 p.m.: The first defensive player is in the boat and it’s a familiar face. The Broncos agreed to a new three-year contract with linebacker Alex Singleton, sources confirmed to The Post, getting their 2022 leading tackler back in the building.
Singleton’s deal is worth up to $18 million and comes with $9 million guaranteed, a source said. He played for Denver last year at the league minimum and now cashes in with the first multi-year deal of his career.
The inside linebacker logged 163 tackles for the Broncos despite not stepping into the lineup mostly full-time in Week 5. He is also a core special teams player. Read the full story.
4:20 p.m.: Denver continues to bolster its offensive front. This time, they’re in agreement with tight end Chris Manhertz on a two-year deal worth up to $6 million. Manhertz’ agency, SES Sports, confirmed the deal to The Post.
Manhertz, 30, is known primarily as a run blocker and has just 24 catches in 104 career games. The Broncos were in the market for a player like him considering Eric Tomlinson is a free agent along with fellow 2022 Denver tight ends Eric Saubert and Andrew Beck.
Manhertz is the fourth offensive player the Broncos agreed to terms with on Day 1, joining RT Mike McGlinchey, G Ben Powers and QB Jarrett Stidham.
12:06 p.m.: Former Denver running back Mike Boone is headed to the Houston Texans, according to the Houston Chronicle.
11:30 a.m.: Denver is indeed swinging big on its offensive line.
Less than an hour after agreeing to terms with guard Ben Powers, the Broncos agreed to terms with San Francisco right tackle Mike McGlinchey, a source confirmed to The Post. ESPN first reported the agreement, which NFL Network says is a five-year arrangement worth up to $87.5 million and comes with $50 million guaranteed.
McGlinchey is a former first-round draft pick of the 49ers. He started all 69 games he appeared in there over the first five years of his career and was considered one of the top offensive linemen available on the free agent market this offseason.
McGlinchey missed the second half of the 2021 season with a torn quad, but bounced back and started every game for Kyle Shanahan’s team in its run to the NFC title game in 2022.
Between he and Powers, Denver has quickly added two established veterans who will essentially slide into replace spots occupied in 2022 by Dalton Risner and a rotating cast including Cam Fleming, Calvin Anderson and Billy Turner on the right side. Read the full story.
11:13 a.m.: The Broncos have identified their backup quarterback for 2023.
Denver is signing Jarrett Stidham to a two-year, $10 million deal, a league source confirmed to The Post. NFL Network first reported the deal and indicated it includes $5 million guaranteed. That should put him in line to be the No. 2 quarterback for Sean Payton behind Russell Wilson.
Stidham played for Las Vegas in 2022 and spent two seasons before that with New England.
He started the Raiders’ final two games of last year after the team made it clear it was moving on from Derek Carr. In a pair of losses, Stidham threw for 584 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Read the full story.
11:01 a.m.: Former Denver tight end/fullback Andrew Beck is headed to Houston on a two-year deal, according to multiple reports. Beck spent the past four seasons in Denver and appeared in 51 games.
10:46 a.m.: The Broncos are off and running in free agency.
They agreed to a four-year deal with Baltimore guard Ben Powers, a league source told The Post. The deal is worth up to $52 million and comes with $28.5 million guaranteed.
Powers, 26, started 36 games over the past four seasons with the Ravens and has been a full-time starter each of the past two seasons. He’s played on either side of the center. Denver’s Quinn Meinerz manned the right side in 2022 but could play either guard spot or center if new head coach Sean Payton decides that’s his best spot.
Powers is a Wichita, Kansas native and was a fourth-round draft pick in 2019.
10:37 a.m.: The Baltimore Ravens announced they cut defensive end and Denver South graduate Calais Campbell. The 36-year-old has 99 career sacks over his 15-year NFL career. Campbell, a Denver native, spent nine years in Arizona, three in Jacksonville and the past three in Baltimore. The six-time Pro Bowler is one of the best players to ever hail from Colorado.
9:40 a.m.: The NFL Network reports Seattle is planning to release veteran defensive lineman Shelby Harris to save about $9 million against its salary cap. Harris, of course, played for the Broncos for five seasons before going to the Seahawks as part of the trade for Russell Wilson a year ago. He played in 75 games for Denver, logging 21.5 of his 24.5 career sacks in that stretch from 2017-21.
9:25 a.m.: The Broncos do not plan on tendering restricted free agent and backup quarterback Brett Rypien, meaning he will become a free agent, a source confirmed to The Post.
The move doesn’t preclude Rypien from returning to Denver, but the Broncos chose not to offer him the minimum of $2.627 million for the right to match offers from other teams.
At that price tag, Denver is unlikely to tender its other restricted free agents: CB Essang Bassey, S P.J. Locke and LS Jacob Bobenmoyer.
Who are the Broncos’ outgoing free agents?
Name | Position | 2023 team | Contract |
---|---|---|---|
Alex Singleton | ILB | ||
Andrew Beck | TE | Houston | Two years |
Billy Turner | OT | ||
Calvin Anderson | OT | ||
Cam Fleming | OT | ||
Dakota Allen | ILB | ||
Dalton Risner | OG | ||
Darius Phillips | CB | ||
DeShawn Williams | DL | ||
Dre’Mont Jones | DL | Seattle | Three years |
Eric Saubert | TE | ||
Eric Tomlinson | TE | ||
Kareem Jackson | S | ||
Latavius Murray | RB | ||
Marlon Mack | RB | ||
Mike Boone | RB | Houston | Two years |
Tom Compton | OT | ||
Chase Edmonds | RB | ||
Graham Glasgow | OG | ||
Ronald Darby | CB |
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