“It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” Puff Daddy.
22 years after the iconic rap song was released, that phrase is all too poignant when it comes to building an NFL football team into a contender.
Currently, the Denver Broncos are between $37.7 and $40.5 million under the salary cap for the 2019 season, depending on which site one references, leaving the orange and blue with the 13th-most money to spend this offseason.
Without a doubt, there are a ton of holes to fill for the Broncos, as addressed in our roundtable here, so spending that money wisely will be crucial for the team. Should they go after a free agent quarterback? What about at right tackle, inside linebacker and cornerback?
While it’s difficult to say for sure where Denver will turn in terms of filling those voids, we can say with almost certainty that Case Keenum will be the Broncos starting quarterback in 2019.
Keenum’s deal, which guarantees $36 million over two years, is set to pay him $21 million of that in this upcoming season. So, why don’t the Broncos just cut him? If they did, they would owe $10 million in dead cap money. Essentially, they’d save $11 million towards the cap, but they’d also be paying $10 million just to jettison him from the team. That’s not happening.
However, his go-to guy in Emmanuel Sanders could actually end up getting the axe. Sanders’ $13 million owed in 2019 is the third-highest amount on the team, and if Denver cut him, they’d save $10.25 million of that towards the cap (with $2.68 million in dead cap).
Sanders is a fan-favorite in Denver, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be around next season. He’ll be 32 years old when next season kicks off, and while he’s played well during his tenure in the Mile High City, he has gone through multiple injury issues, with the achilles tendon tear being the most recent and severe.
Sanders will almost certainly be ready to perform when 2019 kicks off, but with that large a price tag, the Broncos may decide to cut him and move on with someone else alongside Courtland Sutton. Golden Tate is a name fans want to see replace Sanders, but Spotrac believes he’ll be making $10.2 million, almost the exact same as Sanders in 2019. For that price tag, the Broncos would be smarter to just stick with Sanders.
John Brown (estimated $6.2 million) could be an option in free agency, enjoying his second-best season in 2018 with the Ravens.
Who else could the Broncos cut and save money?
Getting rid of Derek Wolfe would save Denver $8.55 million ($2.38 million dead cap), cutting Ronald Leary would save $7.47 million ($1.75 million dead) and cutting Brandon Marshall would mean a $5 million savings, although it would cost $4 million toward the cap in dead money.
Wolfe and Leary seem like unlikely candidates, while Marshall isn’t expected to return to the Broncos in 2019. And one more player — Darian Stewart — could be cut not just because of the money it would save ($3.57 M) but because he was a complete liability in the passing game last season.
Now that the coaching staff is in place for Denver, the big personnel questions are about to start being answered. John Elway is currently in Mobile, AL watching Drew Lock and others at the Senior Bowl; if Elway and Co. want to take Lock at No. 10, that could mean laying off a free agent quarterback.
With so many other holes to fill — offensive tackle and guard, inside linebacker(s), cornerback(s) and wide receiver depth — the front office may decide to make moves on one or more of these players listed above to spend the money elsewhere.
For Elway, it’s about trying to “win from now on,” and he’s made it clear he wants to be in the playoffs next season. Get ready, this offseason is going to be a wild one.
Feb. 4 is the first day players can be cut, and teams have until Mar. 13 to make decisions on players before bonuses come due. That same day, at 2 p.m. MT, free agency begins for the 2019 league year.
