4 Broncos Out-Playing Their Contracts by Leaps & Bounds
I've been keeping tabs on Over the Cap's player valuation metric, which gives an idea about how much value teams are getting out of a player's contract.
As one might expect, players still under cost-controlled draft pick contracts usually bring the most in return, but there are veteran contracts that can bring value, too.
It turns out the Denver Broncos have several such players who are bringing a lot of value for what the team is paying them.
OTC's Jason Fitzgerald listed the top players in terms of positional value for the NFL, and the players bringing the most value to a team, as measured by their valuation when compared to their average-per-year salary.
The Broncos have two players who ranked the best in terms of positional value, left tackle Garett Bolles and cornerback Bryce Callahan.
Bolles, of course, is under the final year of his rookie contract, while Callahan is in the second year of a three-year contract. Bolles is bringing $18.3 million in positional value, while Callahan brings $19.08 million in positional value.
The two also rank among the best when compared to their average-per-year salaries. Bolles has received $2.7M per year on his draft pick deal, while Callahan got $6.1M per year on his three-year deal.
But two other Broncos made the list for bringing the most value to the team. Defensive end Shelby Harris is valued at $13M and is making $3.2M on a one-year deal, while off-ball linebacker Alexander Johnson is bringing $11.8M in value on a $615,000 salary.
The Broncos haven't always gotten it right in free agency or the draft, but when they've done so, the team has had a knack for finding value. It's been one of the strong points of John Elway's tenure as general manager — when he finds the right player in free agency or the draft, he gets great value in return.
Bolles and Harris will see their deals expire after the season, so if the Broncos want to keep them, they'll certainly have to pay more to Bolles and, while they may not have to break the bank for Harris, they won't get him for just $3.2M again.
Meanwhile, Johnson will be a restricted free agent and likely be tendered at the second-round level, while Callahan will enter the final year of his contract. Given the way he's playing, he figures to stick around for 2021.
Earlier this week, I talked about what the Broncos may expect to pay Bolles in a new contract and I'll talk about others in the weeks to come. For now, Broncos fans can keep their fingers crossed that the four players who have delivered high returns on investment can keep doing so.
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