The Denver Broncos are gearing up for NFL free agency, which officially begins on March 13th at 2:00 p.m. MT, and one of their top priorities is taking care of in-house free agents. On Wednesday, the Broncos came to terms with one of their promising developmental players on a one-year deal.
Denver Broncos extend Jonas Griffith on one-year deal
The Denver Broncos have extended inside linebacker Jonas Griffith on a one-year deal as first reported by Roc Nation Sports, the agency that represents Griffith.
The third-year linebacker will be back in the mix for the Broncos defense in 2024 after he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in training camp this past summer. From a roster perspective, Griffith will be one of Denver’s best special teams contributors and had been prior to his injury, but he’ll also be in the mix as a potential starter in 2024.
So much will be contingent upon whether or not the Broncos decide to bring back Josey Jewell, who will become an unrestricted free agent in March. Griffith has previous experience as a starter, where he finished the final four games of 2021 as a starter under Vic Fangio and accumulated 40 tackles in that span.
He is 6’4, 250lbs, and his athleticism has always been off the charts. While the gold standard around the NFL at linebacker is Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw in San Francisco, Griffith has the physical makeup and athleticism to grow into a player who has the ability to impact the game in a way that’s similar if the Broncos create an environment that allows him to.
With 2023 third-round rookie Drew Sanders switching from inside linebacker to edge rusher, Griffith would be the likely starter next to Alex Singleton if the Broncos don’t decide to re-sign Jewell or if he chooses to go elsewhere in free agency.
General manager George Paton initially traded for Griffith right before the start of the 2021 season, acquiring him ironically from the 49ers. Internally, the team has a strong belief in the type of player Griffith can become.
A one-year extension is a low-risk, high-reward type of move if Griffith emerges as the player the team believes he can be. He’s expected to be fully ready to go for the start of organized team activities in May and should be fully ready for the start of training camp as well.