The Denver Broncos were hamstrung by a $53 million “dead money” salary cap hit in 2024 after releasing veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. His cap hit will drop to $32 million in 2025 before Wilson is completely off the team’s books in 2026.
With a much lower hit from Wilson’s contract in 2025, the Broncos might be freed up to make some splashes during NFL free agency. Denver is currently projected to have $48,035,255 in salary cap space this spring, according to an estimate from OverTheCap.com.
That represents the 11th-most cap space in the NFL. Elsewhere in the division, the the Las Vegas Raiders ($92.5 million) rank second and the Los Angeles Chargers ($73 million) rank fourth. The Kansas City Chiefs ($11.5 million) rank 24th in the NFL.
The Broncos have already given big extensions to key in-house players including guard Quinn Meinerz, cornerback Pat Surtain, outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper and left tackle Garett Bolles. Denver now has 19 players scheduled to become free agents in March.
The Broncos’ postseason ended with disappointment, but Denver still overachieved this season with a rookie QB and a big salary cap deficit. https://t.co/evuXPJu70S
— Broncos Wire (@TheBroncosWire) January 12, 2025
With a starting quarterback on a rookie contract for at least two seasons, the Broncos are in position to spend big going into 2025.
