After nearly signing with Panthers, LB Justin Strnad returns to Broncos instead

After nearing signing with the Panthers, LB Justin Strnad decided to return to the Broncos instead.

Denver Broncos free agent linebacker Justin Strnad agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday, according to a report from The Athletic‘s Joe Person.

That deal would have seen Strnad reunited with former teammate Josey Jewell and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, but after initially making a verbal agreement to join the Panthers, Strnad changed his mind.

Strnad had “a change of heart” and returned to the Broncos on a one-year deal on Tuesday night, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Interestingly, this is not the first time this has happened this offseason.

Last week, kicker Wil Lutz initially agreed to a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars on the first day of the NFL’s free agency negotiating window. Before making anything official with Jacksonville, Lutz changed his mind and returned to Denver on a two-year deal instead.

Broncos tight end Adam Trautman was also close to joining another team before Denver got him back on a two-year contract, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Broncos coach Sean Payton doesn’t seem to mind letting things go right down to the wire.

Strnad, 27, entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Wake Forest in 2020. Now entering his fifth season in Denver, Strnad has emerged as a key special teams player for the Broncos. He played 86% of the team’s special teams snaps last season.

We are tracking all of Denver’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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Here are Adam Trautman’s contract details with the Broncos

Broncos tight end Adam Trautman will have a salary cap hit of $3 million in 2024.

The Denver Broncos re-signed tight end Adam Trautman to a two-year deal last week. Terms of the contract are now known.

Trautman’s deal has a total value of $7.5 million. He received a $3 million signing bonus that will be prorated as $1.5 million salary cap hits over the next two years.

This year, Trautman will have a base salary of $1.5 million, which is guaranteed. That salary combined with his prorated signing bonus gives the tight end a total salary cap hit of $3 million in 2024.

Next year, Trautman’s base salary will jump to $2.745 million ($500,000 guaranteed), and he can earn an additional $255,000 through per-game roster bonuses. Those figures combined with his prorated signing bonus will make Trautman’s total salary cap hit $4.5 million in 2025.

If the Broncos cut Trautman next year, the team would take on a $2 million “dead money” cap hit (his prorated bonus plus $500,000 guaranteed salary) with a net savings of $2.5 million.

Denver, of course, will hope Trautman plays well enough to finish his deal. The 27-year-old veteran served as the team’s No. 1 tight end in 2023.

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Broncos re-signing TE Adam Trautman to 2-year contract

The Broncos are re-signing tight end Adam Trautman to a two-year contract.

The Denver Broncos are re-signing tight end Adam Trautman, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Trautman is returning on a two-year deal worth $7.5 million.

Trautman (6-5, 253 pounds) entered the league with the New Orleans Saints as a third-round pick out of Dayton in the 2020 NFL draft. His role in the Saints’ offense decreased when coach Sean Payton stepped down in 2022.

Last year, Payton joined the Broncos and he traded a sixth-round pick to the Saints in exchange for Trautman and a seventh-round pick. Due to injuries at the position, Trautman ended up serving as Denver’s No. 1 tight end in 2023, catching 22 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns.

Trautman has 82 career receptions for 845 yards with seven touchdowns in 60 games (40 starts). He played in all 17 games for the Broncos last year, earning 12 starts.

Trautman has earned just north of $4.7 million through his first four seasons in the NFL, according to Spotrac.com. Now entering his fifth season, Trautman turned 27 years old last month.

After re-signing with Denver, Trautman will reunite with Greg Dulcich, Lucas Krull and Nate Adkins in the tight end room.

We are tracking all of the team’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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Available free agent tight ends for the Broncos in 2024

The Broncos could look to free agency to add more depth at tight end this offseason.

The NFL’s free agency negotiating window will open on Monday, followed by the official start of free agency on Wednesday.

The Denver Broncos won’t be able to make as many splash signings this year as they did in 2023, but the team has a few positions that could use reinforcements.

One position that stands out on the roster is tight end. Greg Dulcich has plenty of potential, but he has struggled to stay healthy over the last two seasons. Adam Trautman stepped up as the team’s No. 1 tight end last year, but Trautman is now set to hit free agency next week.

So we’ve put together a quick list of tight available tight ends the Broncos could consider during free agency.

Note that two of the tight ends listed below — Hayden Hurst and C.J. Uzomah — are not yet free agents, but they are expected to be released by their respective teams in the coming days.

Little potential for compensatory draft picks in the Saints’ 2025 forecast

Experts see little potential for compensatory draft picks in the Saints’ 2025 forecast. Mickey Loomis must make the most of his choices in 2024:

It’s been good to see the New Orleans Saints changing their valuation of compensatory draft picks in recent years. Acquiring extra draft picks in exchange for losing free agents to other teams has worked out for them. Just look at their past history:

  • 2021: Comp picks in rounds three (Nos. 98 and 105) and six (218)
  • 2022: Comp picks in rounds three (Nos. 98 and 101)
  • 2023: Comp pick in round seven (No. 257)

And while the Saints expect to continue that trend in 2024 (they’re projected to receive three extra picks in the fifth round, per Over The Cap) the forecast for 2025 isn’t looking very favorable. Remember, teams are awarded comp picks in the following year’s draft based off the current year’s free agency results. And New Orleans simply lacks many players who are seen as desirable qualifiers.

OTC’s Nick Korte explains:

The Saints remain devoted to keeping core players on their roster, no matter how much they amortize the cap dollars associated with their contracts to do so. This regularly leaves them with few CFA worthy players hitting free agency. But on the other hand, filling up on incumbent players also tends to make them avoid free agency. In the past couple of seasons this has generated some comp picks for them, but typically they do not care much about them, and this could be one of those seasons where they revert to their mean.

Many of the Saints’ top players expected to become available will not qualify for the comp picks formula: guys like Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, and Andrus Peat. It’s possible that backups on defense earn better opportunities and higher salaries elsewhere, but any signings the Saints make could balance out the losses (and possible comp picks) for defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, linebacker Zack Baun, or cornerback Isaac Yiadom.

So that means the Saints must make the most of their comp picks while they have them. And fans should expect them to be traded. The Saints have traded every comp pick they’ve received in the last three years:

  • Both third-round comp picks in 2021 were packaged in a trade to move up and pick cornerback Paulson Adebo
  • The seventh-round comp pick in 2021 was traded in a move up for offensive tackle Landon Young
  • Both third-round comp picks in 2022 were traded; No. 98 was used to move up for wide receiver Chris Olave, while No. 101 was traded in the package of picks used to get another first rounder, which became left tackle Trevor Penning
  • And the seventh-round comp pick in 2023 was packaged with tight end Adam Trautman in a trade up, targeting wide receiver A.T. Perry

So this tells us that Saints general manager Mickey Loomis tends to view comp picks as trade ammunition more than anything else. He’s known as an aggressive wheeler-and-dealer on draft day, and recent history lays out his go-to strategy very clearly. We’ll see if the trend continues in 2024, but the Saints may not have the promise of extra picks to lean on in 2025, depending on how free agency plays out this March.

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1 pending free agent the Colts could target from each AFC team

Taking a look at one pending free agent for the Colts from each AFC team.

With free agency right around the corner, the Indianapolis Colts have the chance to make some key additions to a roster that already has some promise.

Working with some of the most salary-cap space in the NFL this offseason, general manager Chris Ballard and the front office can continue to add pieces to the defensive side of the ball while improving the supporting cast for quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Re-signing some of their own players like Michael Pittman Jr., Grover Stewart and Kenny Moore II will be key. But they also could look around the conference to bring in some outside talent.

We know Ballard isn’t one to make huge splashes in free agency, but they are still going to be an active team even if it means simply adding depth.

After taking a look at potential NFC targets, here’s a look at one pending free agent from each AFC team that should interest the Colts:

7 free agent tight ends Giants could target to replace Darren Waller

If Darren Waller opts to retire, here are seven free agent tight ends the New York Giants could target as a replacement option.

One year after acquiring tight end Darren Waller via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants may be forced into replacing him.

Waller told the New York Post on Friday that he’s “still undecided” about his future and could opt to retire.

“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller told the Post.

If Waller does return in 2024, he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

Because of Waller’s transparency with the Giants, they have already begun to pour over the names slated to become available in free agency.

With Waller’s future uncertain and a need at the position beyond just 2024, here’s a look at seven free agent tight ends the Giants could consider.

6 in-house free agents Broncos should re-sign in 2024

The Broncos should make re-signing safety P.J. Locke a priority during NFL free agency.

The NFL’s free agency negotiating window will open on March 11. If the Denver Broncos do not give contract extensions to their in-house free agents before that date, other teams will be allowed to negotiate deals with Denver’s looming free agents.

The new league year and the official start of NFL free agency will kick off on March 13 and all signings can become official on that date.

The Broncos seem likely to lose center Lloyd Cushenberry. Denver has to clear salary cap space and Cushenberry is expected to get a big deal on the open market.

Broncos inside linebacker Josey Jewell is another in-house free agent to keep an eye on. Jewell had a $7.22 million salary cap hit last year and Denver might not be willing to commit that much cap space again in 2024.

While losing both Cushenberry and Jewell seems possible (maybe even probable), the team has a few other contributors who should be easier to re-sign. Here’s a quick list of six in-house free agents the Broncos should try to re-sign in March.

5 TEs the Colts should target in 2024 free agency

Which TEs should the Colts target in free agency?

The tight end position for the Indianapolis Colts is a bit in flux entering free agency and the 2024 offseason.

Starter Mo Alie-Cox hasn’t proven to be a difference-maker while his run-blocking abilities seem to have plateaued. Kylen Granson is a nice H-back and receiving option to have. Jelani Woods missed the entire season due to a hamstring injury, and Andrew Ogletree’s future with the team is in serious question after being placed on the Comissioner Exempt List.

Rookie Will Mallory showed some upside as a receiver, but he didn’t factor much into the plans for the majority of the season.

Though drafting a tight end may certainly be on the docket for Indy, adding a viable veteran in free agency is an option as well. Finding a true Y tight end who can run block with consistency while adding some upside as a receiver should be the objective.

This position isn’t a major need for the Colts, but it would help the development of young quarterback Anthony Richardson.

We should note that we understand a some of these players won’t even hit the market, but we’re working under the hypothetical scenario that they become available, regardless of how slim the chances are.

Here are five free-agent tight ends the Colts should target in 2024:

1 pending free agent Chargers should target: AFC West Edition

Listing one free agent from each of the Chargers’ division rivals who could be a fit for them.

The Chargers won’t be aggressive when it comes to signing free agents, as they’re currently $35 million over the projected salary cap.

While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Joe Hortiz will make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some.

That said, I will list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

First up is the AFC West.