Broncos won’t re-sign DL Jonathan Harris before free agency begins

The Broncos will not pick up Jonathan Harris’ restricted free agent tender, allowing him to test unrestricted free agency next week.

The Denver Broncos have re-signed two exclusive rights free agents — linebacker Jonas Griffith and wide receiver Michael Bandy — and attention now turns to the club’s restricted free agents.

The Broncos have two restricted free agents this year (defensive lineman Jonathan Harris and offensive lineman Quinn Bailey), according to OverTheCap.com. The team has made a decision on one of them.

Denver informed Harris on Wednesday that he will not receive a restricted free agent tender, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported. That means the Broncos are allowing the defensive lineman to hit unrestricted free agency next week.

It’s still possible that Denver could bring Harris back in 2024. An original-round tender would have paid Harris $2.985 million this season. The league minimum for a player with three years of experience like Harris is $1.055 million. So if the lineman does not draw a lot of interest on the open market, he might be willing to return to the Broncos for less than his declined tender.

Harris, 27, signed with Denver in 2019. He has dressed for 31 games over the last five seasons, earning four starts in 2022 and five starts in 2023. He has recorded 73 tackles, six quarterback hits and one sack with the Broncos.

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