Tag: salary cap space

Broncos plan to be ‘measured’ during NFL free agency in 2025

“You can’t go crazy every year,” Broncos GM George Paton said of making splashes during NFL free agency.

The Denver Broncos are expected to have about $52 million worth of salary cap space in 2025. After pinching pennies to stay under the cap in 2024, the Broncos can afford to make a few splashes this spring — if they choose to.

Denver general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton will identify key positions of need this offseason and then target players to fill those needs. Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner has the final say, and he’s willing to spend if necessary.

“We talk — the three of us talk frequently about this and what our approach will be,” Penner said on Jan. 15. “You saw us after our first season that we felt like we really had to do some things immediately in free agency to shore up both our offensive line and defensive line. Last year, we were more constrained. It was a measured approach and that served us well. As we go into this offseason, it’s a different situation again.

“We are going to have a little more cap space. Our needs are different. We have a young nucleus and a great quarterback to build around. We haven’t set yet what our approach to free agency will be. If it is appropriate, we will be aggressive, but I’m not sure we’ll need to do that.”

Penner hinted that Denver won’t be as aggressive as some fans might like, a sentiment that was seemingly echoed by Paton.

“I think we’ll be measured,” Paton said. “I think it worked out for us last year. We were very measured. We picked our spots. We were very strategic. It worked out. I just don’t think… You can’t go crazy every year. My first year here, we wanted to set the tone, and I talked about it with the offensive line and the Zach Allen’s of the world.

“We were measured, [but] we still got some really good players, Brandon Jones, like I talked about Malcolm Roach. [We] made a few trades that we really liked. We’ll see. We could be really aggressive, but I think we’ll have a more measured approach and still upgrade our team.”

The NFL’s free agency negotiating window will begin on March 10 with open free agency starting on March 12. The Broncos will spend, but it will be calculated.

“Again, we are going to have some more space this year,” Penner said. “That’s terrific and we have pretty much all of our draft picks, so I think we are in a good position to have a great offseason.”

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Broncos have 5th-lowest salary cap rollover total for 2025

The Broncos have about $1.9 million worth of unused cap space to rollover into 2025, the fifth-lowest total in the NFL.

The Denver Broncos had to pinch pennies after parting ways with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson in 2024.

The Broncos took on a $53 million “dead money” cap hit from Wilson’s contract in 2024 and the team was close to the cap limit all year.

At the end of each season, teams rollover any unused cap space from the current year and add it to the next season’s total. Following the 2024 campaign, Denver is rolling over just $1,911,639, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.

That is the fifth-lowest rollover total in the NFL, only above the Buffalo Bills ($1,340,227), New York Giants ($1,172,048), Carolina Panthers ($490,368) and New York Jets ($345,919), who really cut it close.

After rolling over their leftover cap, the Broncos are now projected to have $48,035,255 in cap space this offseason, according to OTC’s database. That’s the 11th-highest cap space total for NFL teams going into 2025.

Denver has 19 in-house players scheduled to become free agents in March. Expect the Broncos to bring back a few key players and then look to fill some needs during free agency ahead of drafting more talent in April.

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Broncos projected to have 11th-most salary cap space in 2025

The Broncos are projected to have the 11th-most salary cap space in the NFL this offseason.

The Denver Broncos were hamstrung by a $53 million “dead money” salary cap hit in 2024 after releasing veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. His cap hit will drop to $32 million in 2025 before Wilson is completely off the team’s books in 2026.

With a much lower hit from Wilson’s contract in 2025, the Broncos might be freed up to make some splashes during NFL free agency. Denver is currently projected to have $48,035,255 in salary cap space this spring, according to an estimate from OverTheCap.com.

That represents the 11th-most cap space in the NFL. Elsewhere in the division, the the Las Vegas Raiders ($92.5 million) rank second and the Los Angeles Chargers ($73 million) rank fourth. The Kansas City Chiefs ($11.5 million) rank 24th in the NFL.

The Broncos have already given big extensions to key in-house players including guard Quinn Meinerz, cornerback Pat Surtain, outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper and left tackle Garett Bolles. Denver now has 19 players scheduled to become free agents in March.

With a starting quarterback on a rookie contract for at least two seasons, the Broncos are in position to spend big going into 2025.

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Broncos made playoffs despite largest dead money cap hit in the NFL

The Broncos made the NFL playoffs despite having $89 million in “dead money” count against their salary cap this season.

After moving on from veteran quarterback Russell Wilson this spring, the Denver Broncos took on an NFL-record $85 million “dead money” salary cap hit. Of that total, $53 million counted against the team’s 2024 cap.

Consequently, the Broncos led the league with a total dead money cap hit north of $89 million this season. Despite being handicapped with a salary cap pinch, Denver made the playoffs this season with a 10-7 record, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

After the team clinched a playoff berth, Broncos coach Sean Payton spoke about the team’s cap situation.

“I remember in the offseason talking with [Rams coach Sean] McVay and the year prior for them, they were 70 million in dead cap,” Payton said. “In other words, almost a third of your team’s budget for talent is unavailable. We had a joint practice with them, and they had a lot of young — I couldn’t tell you who the players were. Young undrafted players. It was impressive what they did that season and making it to the postseason.

“Sometimes those types of challenges [take] rolling up your sleeves. I think your players certainly do have a little bit of a chip when they see those initial prognostications or whatever. Then eventually when you’re in this long enough, you tune that stuff out because half those people don’t have a clue [about] what they’re talking about. Yes, who’s done this before with over 80 million [in dead cap] — all those things you think about. No one’s done that before. Let’s be the first one.”

It’s quite an impressive feat for Payton and Co., and with an estimated $53 million available in 2025 cap space, Denver could take another step forward next season.

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Broncos salary cap update after Pat Surtain extension

After giving Pat Surtain an extension and restructuring Courtland Sutton’s contract, the Broncos have about $6.7M in remaining cap space.

After giving a massive contract extension to cornerback Pat Surtain earlier this week, the Denver Broncos have $6,760,584 in remaining salary cap space, according to an estimate from OverTheCap.com. Spotrac.com lists a slighter higher number ($7,551,316), but the websites are in a similar ballpark.

The Broncos would have been over the cap going into the season if they did not restructure wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s contract on Wednesday. Denver converted most of Sutton’s salary into a bonus, saving $9.5 million in 2024 cap space (the team was a few million over the cap before that).

With somewhere between $6.7 million and $7.5 million in cap space, the Broncos now have room for potential in-season signings. If players go on injured reserve, they also count against the cap, so Denver needed to have a cushion going into the season.

The Broncos rank 20th in the NFL in available cap space, third in the AFC West behind the Los Angeles Chargers ($9 million) and Las Vegas Raiders ($28.7 million). The Kansas City Chiefs are last in the division with $5.4 million in remaining cap space.

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49ers actually created salary cap space in 2024 with Brandon Aiyuk contract

The 49ers now have the 2nd-most cap space in the NFL after getting the Brandon Aiyuk deal done.

The San Francisco 49ers wound up saving money on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk this season by getting his long-term extension done.

Aiyuk was due a fully-guaranteed $14,124,000 with the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. There was always going to be an opportunity for them to lower that $14.12 million cap hit with a new contract, but details have given us an exact cap number for him in 2024.

According to Over the Cap, Aiyuk’s salary cap hit in 2024 is now $5,725,000. That means the 49ers actually save $8,399,000 against the cap this season. His cap hit jumps to $11,191,000 in 2025, and then $16,223,000 the following year.

While there are no guarantees beyond the 2026 season, Aiyuk’s cap hits skyrocket to $42,282,000 in 2027 and $44,158,000 in 2028 – both numbers that figure to be reduced dramatically via a restructured deal or an extension if he’s going to stay with San Francisco.

The 49ers are now sitting with the second-most cap space in the NFL according to OTC. They’re at $48,231,713 in available room, just behind the Browns who have north of $51 million in space.

That number will come down some once Trent Williams is back with the club. He’s not on the roster as of August 31, so his cap hit doesn’t factor into the 49ers’ total. Still, they’ll have plenty of cap space to maneuver during the season while also having some rollover room going into 2025.

Salary cap space will start to become something the 49ers will have to watch very carefully with Williams’ deal coming, and quarterback Brock Purdy’s megadeal looming next offseason.

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Broncos salary cap update going into free agency

The Broncos should have north of $27 million in available salary cap space going into NFL free agency.

NFL free agency hasn’t even started yet and the Denver Broncos have already made a flurry of roster moves.

Parting ways with quarterback Russell Wilson put the team in a salary cap hole, but the team has made progress climbing out of that hole.

The team restructured the contracts of wide receiver Tim Patrick (saving $8.375 million) and right tackle Mike McGlinchey (saving $11 million). Denver also cut safety Justin Simmons (saving $14.5 million) and tight end Chris Manhertz (saving $2.12 million). The Broncos then agreed to trade receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns (saving $12.987 million).

Denver has also made a few in-house deals, most notably re-signing safety P.J. Locke to a two-year deal. Additionally, the team brought back offensive lineman Quinn Bailey, linebacker Jonas Griffith and wide receiver Michael Bandy on one-year contracts.

So, where does that leave the team going in free agency this week?

The exact details of P.J. Locke’s contract are not yet known, but it’s been reported as a $7 million deal. If split evenly over two years, Locke would have a $3.5 million cap hit this season (that’s not a likely scenario, but just for the sake of an example, we’ll go with it).

Before accounting for the Locke contract, OverTheCap.com estimates the Broncos have $30,575,445 in available salary cap space. Subtracting $3.5 million for Locke would drop that total down to $27,075,445, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the safety’s contract has a lower cap hit in 2024 than in 2025.

We won’t know the team’s exact cap space until the details of Locke’s contract are revealed, but it seems safe to guestimate that Denver has north of $27 million available going into NFL free agency.

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Broncos restructure WR Tim Patrick’s contract to get under salary cap

Tim Patrick has agreed to restructure his contract to remain with the Broncos in 2024.

The Denver Broncos have restructured wide receiver Tim Patrick’s contract, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Following the restructure, the Broncos are now under the salary cap, according to the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson.

Patrick agreed to decrease his base salary to the league minimum ($1.125 million), according to ESPN’s Field Yates. He can earn back an additional $1.205 million through incentives, plus $170,000 in per-game roster bonuses.

Patrick was set to have a base salary of $9.5 million in 2024 and a total salary cap hit of $15,571,668, according to OverTheCap.com. After taking a pay cut, Patrick’s total cap hit is $7,196,668.

Patrick entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Utah with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, but they cut him during training camp. Patrick then spent time with the San Francisco 49ers in preseason but failed to make their 53-man roster.

About two months after he had been cut by the Ravens and 49ers, Patrick signed with the Broncos’ practice squad. He spent the rest of his rookie season on the practice squad before emerging as a rotational receiver in 2018.

After two years of modest production, Patrick had a breakout from 2020-2021, topping 50 catches, 700 receiving yards and five touchdowns in each of those two seasons. Denver then rewarded the receiver with a three-year, $30 million contract extension ahead of the 2022 season.

Unfortunately, Patrick is yet to play a single down since signing that deal. The receiver first tore his ACL and missed the 2022 campaign. After returning, Patrick then suffered a torn Achilles and missed the entire 2023 season.

Now coming off back-to-back serious injuries, Patrick will turn 31 during the 2024 season. The receiver has earned just north of $25.3 million through seven seasons in the NFL. He’s set to stick around for at least one more season in Denver after agreeing to restructure his contract.

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2024 NFL Free Agency: Ranking all 32 NFL teams (including the Minnesota Vikings) by available cap space

Where do the Minnesota Vikings rank in terms of salary cap space? We ranked all 32 teams.

With the beginning of the new league year approaching in a little over two weeks, the NFL gave each franchise a gift heading into the 2024 season: An extra $5 million in cap space over the initial projected amount.

With over $255 million to work with ($255.4 for those that like to be exact), the 32 front offices can start strategizing how they will make their money work for them going into this season.

As teams sort out if and how they use their franchise tags and other potential cap-friendly avenues, we rank the available cap space for all 32 teams from least to most.

Data courtesy of Over The Cap as of Sunday, February 25th