Tag: P.J. Locke

Broncos roster series: No. 6, DB P.J. Locke

Entering his sixth season, P.J. Locke will aim to win a starting job in 2024 after the Broncos cut Justin Simmons this offseason.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at fifth-year safety P.J. Locke, No. 6.

Before the Broncos: Locke (5-10, 202 pounds) played college football for the Texas Longhorns, totaling 163 tackles, 12 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three interceptions and 1.5 sacks in four seasons (47 games).

Broncos tenure: Locke entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. After failing to make Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster, Locke signed with Denver’s practice squad four months later. He went on to make the Broncos’ active roster in 2020 and played primarily on special teams over the next two seasons.

Locke emerged as a rotational safety in 2022, totaling 22 tackles and one pass breakup in 16 games. Healthy for 12 games last fall, Locke served as an eight-game starter while Kareem Jackson was suspended and Caden Sterns was injured. Locke had the best season of his career in 2023, recording 53 tackles, three quarterback hits, three sacks and one interception.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Lock. He’s not guaranteed to win a starting job over Sterns and Brandon Jones, but Sterns will be a key member of Denver’s secondary in 2024. He’s a lock to make the active roster this summer.

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13 years ago, P.J. Locke set a goal to reach the NFL

P.J. Locke signed a dedication contract in 2011 to “work and make necessary sacrifices” required to reach the NFL. Job well done!

Thirteen years ago, a freshman in Beaumont, Texas signed a “dedication contract” to one day reach the NFL.

“I James Pj Locke agree to work and make necessary sacrifices starting on this day Mar. 17, 2011 to be able to reach ultimate goal of playing in the NFL,” his contract reads.

P.J. Locke went on to earn all-state and all-district honors at Central High School in Texas before attending the University of Texas. His goal of reaching the NFL suffered a setback when he went undrafted in 2019, but he quickly signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a college free agent.

Locke then hit another setback when the Steelers cut him as they finalized their 53-man roster ahead of the 2019 season, but that did not mark the end of his NFL journey. The safety signed with the Denver Broncos’ practice squad four months after being cut by Pittsburgh, and the rest is history.

Locke contributed primarily on special teams from 2020-2022 before emerging as an eight-game starter in 2023. After totaling 53 tackles, five pass breakups, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception with the Broncos last year, Locke was rewarded with a two-year, $7 million contract extension this offseason.

Locke set a goal and he had the dedication and talent to fulfil it. Now 27 years old, Locke is entering his sixth season in the NFL.

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Here are P.J. Locke’s contract details with the Broncos

After re-signing with the Broncos, safety P.J. Locke will have a $2.5 million salary cap hit in 2024.

Shortly after they released veteran Justin Simmons to save $14.5 million, the Denver Broncos re-signed fellow safety P.J. Locke to a two-year, $7 million contract. Details for that deal are now known.

Locke received a $2 million signing bonus that will be prorated as $1 million salary cap hits over the next two years. This season, his base salary will be $1,245,000 and he can earn an additional $255,000 through game-day roster bonuses. Those numbers combined with his prorating signing bonus will give Locke a total salary cap hit of $2.5 million in 2024.

Next year, Locke’s base salary will increase to $2,990,000, and his game-day roster bonus will jump to $510,000. With his prorated signing bonus included, Locke will have a total salary cap hit of $4.5 million in 2025.

In addition to re-signing Locke, the Broncos have also agreed to terms on a three-year, $20 million contract with pending free agent safety Brandon Jones. Exact details of that contract are not yet known, but it will average about $6.6 million per season.

Jones (roughly $6.6 million), Locke ($2.5 million) and Caden Sterns ($1.13 million) will combine to cost less ($10.23 million) in 2024 than Denver saved ($14.5 million) by releasing Simmons earlier this week.

That’s good cap work from the Broncos.

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Broncos re-sign safety P.J. Locke to 2-year, $7 million contract

The Broncos have signed safety P.J. Locke to a two-year contract worth $7 million, NFL Network reported on Saturday evening.

The Denver Broncos have re-signed safety P.J. Locke to a two-year deal worth $7 million, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday evening.

Locke (5-10, 202 pounds) entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Texas with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. After failing to make Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster, Locke signed with Denver’s practice squad.

Locke dressed for 15 games the following year, playing primarily on special teams. He emerged as a rotational defensive back in 2022, totaling 22 tackles, two forced fumbles and one pass breakup.

Last year, Locke had a breakout season with 53 tackles, five pass breakups, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception in 12 games (eight starts). Locke was asked to step up in 2023 following an injury to Caden Sterns and the suspensions (and an eventual release) of Kareem Jackson.

Following this week’s release of Justin Simmons, the Broncos have Locke, Sterns, Delarrin Turner-Yell and J.L. Skinner under contract. It’s unclear if Jackson plans to play in 2024, but he seems unlikely to return to Denver.

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Report: Broncos looking to re-sign safety P.J. Locke

After releasing Justin Simmons, the Broncos are attempting to re-sign fellow safety P.J. Locke.

The Denver Broncos saved $14.5 million in salary cap space when they released veteran safety Justin Simmons on Thursday. Some of that cap space will be used to find Simmons’ replacement, and Denver has an in-house candidate.

The Broncos are “looking to re-sign P.J. Locke,” according to a report from the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson. Locke is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 13. Denver could prevent him from hitting free agency by giving him an extension this week.

Locke, 27, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2019. He was a key special teams player and rotational defensive back from 2020-2022 before being asked to step up as a fill-in starter in 2023.

Following an injury to Caden Sterns and multiple suspensions for Kareem Jackson, Locke started eight games last season. He ended the season with 53 tackles, five pass breakups, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception in 12 games.

Following the release of Simmons, Locke will likely be a priority in-house free agent for the Broncos. As things stand now, Locke and Sterns are likely the favorites to start at the team’s two safety spots in 2024.

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So who starts at safety for the Broncos in 2024?

The Broncos might go into 2024 with Caden Sterns and P.J. Locke as their starting safeties. The biggest question: Can they stay healthy?

The era of Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson has come to an end.

Simmons had been starting for the Broncos since 2017. Jackson started across from Simmons from 2019-2023 (until suspensions ultimately led to his release). Jackson is gone and Simmons has now been cut as well.

So who will start at safety for Denver in 2024?

The team’s safeties currently under contract are Caden Sterns, Delarrin Turner-Yell, J.L. Skinner, Devon Key and Tanner McCalister. P.J. Locke, who started eight games in the place of Jackson last year, is scheduled to become a free agent next week.

Locke should be a priority in-house free agent for the Broncos. He has proven himself as a capable starter and Denver will need him to step up in 2024 (assuming he returns). Locke will likely be paired with Sterns, who was a candidate to start over Jackson last year before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

On paper, Locke and Sterns certainly look like a capable pair of starting safeties. The biggest concern will be if they can stay healthy. Locke missed five games last year and Sterns missed 28 of a possible 34 games over the last two seasons due to injuries.

When healthy, Locke and Sterns are starting-caliber defensive backs, but the Broncos will need to add more depth at safety this offseason.

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Available free agent safeties for the Broncos in 2024

Here is a list of 15 free agent safeties the Broncos should consider this offseason.

After listing notable free-agent defensive linemen yesterday, we’re looking at free-agent safety options for the Denver Broncos today.

Justin Simmons is one of the best safeties in the league, but his former partner, Kareem Jackson, is no longer on the team. Caden Sterns might be a candidate to start across from Simmons in 2024, but Sterns has missed 28 games due to injury over the last two seasons.

In case Sterns is not able to stay on the field, Denver needs another starting-caliber safety on the roster.

One big name to keep an eye on is C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who drew interest from the Broncos during free agency last year. Denver also has a notable in-house free agent safety in P.J. Locke who is scheduled to hit the open market if the Broncos do not re-sign him before March 13.

So, with free agency about a week away, here’s a quick list of 15 free-agent safeties that Denver should consider signing this spring.

3 starters Broncos could lose in free agency

With free agency about a week away, Lloyd Cushenberry seems like the Broncos’ most likely free agent to draw big interest from other clubs.

The official start of NFL free agency (March 13) is nearly one week away and the Denver Broncos still have work to do to get under the salary cap.

When the Broncos have some cap space to spare, the team will undoubtedly re-sign some of their in-house free agents, but Denver won’t be able to keep all of them.

The Broncos’ five biggest free agents this spring are arguably center Lloyd Cushenberry, linebacker Josey Jewell, tight end Adam Trautman, safety P.J. Locke and kicker Wil Lutz. Denver seems likely to lose a few of them.

Trautman and Lutz shouldn’t be too difficult to re-sign, but Cushenberry is expected to draw serious interest on the open market. The Broncos probably can’t afford to match the kind of offers Cushenberry will receive from other clubs.

The markets for Jewell and Locke are less certain. Jewell is a proven starter so he should draw decent interest. Locke only has eight career starts on his resume, so that might make it easier to bring him back.

As Denver prepares for the start of free agency, Cushenberry, Jewell and Locke appear to be the club’s three in-house free agents with the biggest risk of leaving the team for a better offer elsewhere.

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.

Broncos pending free agent P.J. Locke excited for ‘the next move’

“Man, I can’t wait to see what GOD has in store for me with the next move!” Broncos safety P.J. Locke wrote on his Twitter/X page.

It’s that time of year again.

With NFL free agency now less than a month away, fans can’t help but read into the social media messages of players with uncertain futures.

Last month, Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton shared a message on Instagram that certainly sounded like a goodbye. “I trust my Gods plans over everything including whatever is next for me,” was part of Sutton’s caption. “Just know I gave everything to this team and organization every time I stepped on that field!”

Sutton is under contract for the 2024 season, but the team has listened to trade offers for the receiver over the last two years. Sutton isn’t the only player with an uncertain future in Denver.

Last week, safety P.J. Locke took to Twitter/X to share this message: “Man, I can’t wait to see what GOD has in store for me with the next move! More goals, more achievements, more life! 🙏 #Undeniable #Completion”

Again, it’s hard to not read into the message. The fact that Locke said his next “move” may or may not imply that he expects to move on to another team. Perhaps that’s reading too far into it. Maybe the safety merely meant he’s eager to see whatever happens next, including the possibility of re-signing with the Broncos.

Locke is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. Denver’s safety depth chart would take a huge hit if he leaves the team.

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