And another one bites the dust … probably.
After Malik Jackson, Danny Trevathan and Brock Osweiler all bolted Denver for more money on Wednesday, C.J. Anderson followed suit on Thursday, only the Broncos have the opportunity to match this time around.
Dolphins signed Broncos restricted free-agent running back CJ Anderson to a 4-year offer sheet. Denver has 5 days to match or lose.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2016
Hearing the CJ Anderson offer sheet is fairly front-loaded as well. Broncos have 5 days to match or the RB is a Dolphin
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 10, 2016
And with the way John Elway has been playing his cards, it’s hard to imagine he’s going to be opening his pocketbook to retain the services of Anderson, especially after the details of the deal were released.
CJ Anderson's offer sheet with Miami: 4 years, $18 million. Denver has five days to match or lose Anderson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2016
While that’s not an exorbitant amount of money, it would be good for the 10th-highest running back contract on average in the league — ninth once Marshawn Lynch officially retires.
Elway does have the opportunity to match, but it’s unlikely. There’s a reason the Broncos didn’t put a higher tender on Anderson.
But if the Broncos don’t spend the money on Anderson, then whom are they going to spend it on. With each passing second, more and more Denver Broncos seem to be flooding out, and yet none are coming in.
At some point, Elway’s going to have to pull the trigger.
For Anderson, the 120-hour clock starts now.