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.”
