The Denver Broncos are looking to clear up some more cap room, and Ryan Clady and DeMarcus Ware are their next targets. But unlike he did with Louis Vasquez and Owen Daniels, John Elway doesn’t look to be moving on from either player.
According to multiple reports, the Broncos are looking to restructure the deals of both Clady and Ware, keeping the two in Denver at a significantly lower price.
#Broncos continue to work on restructuring deals for LT Ryan Clady & LB DeMarcus Ware. The hope & belief is both stay in Denver.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2016
The players reciprocate that feeling, too.
Talked to Ryan Clady. Back to full-speed now. Expects to return to Broncos. "Oh yeah, no question. I definitely want to be a Bronco."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 9, 2016
As of this moment, the two players count as over $22.7 million against the cap, according to Spotrac. If they were to simply cut them, Denver would immediately save almost $19 million, more than enough to sign Brock Osweiler. A restructuring, though, could easily save Denver upwards of $10 million.
The question now becomes: How highly do the Broncos value their services?
For Ware, while he was absolutely dominant during the Broncos Super Bowl run, he’s now 33 years old and injury prone. Not to mention, the last time someone asked him to take a pay cut (the Cowboys), he opted to take his chances on the open market and ended up a Denver Bronco.
If a deal can’t get done quickly, Elway will have to make a move.
The #Broncos drop-dead date for pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware is March 14th when $3M roster bonus hits.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) March 9, 2016
For Clady, he’s already stated that he’s willing to take a pay cut to stay in Denver, but what’s his role going to be? Elway already drafted Ty Sambraillo in the second round of last year’s draft, and he just signed Donald Stephenson from Kansas City. How much is Clady worth if he’s not even guaranteed a starting gig?
The good news is we’re about to find out. Stay tuned as free agency gets rolling this afternoon.