Broncos 2025 Free Agency Primer: Everything You Need to Know

The Denver Broncos rebuild is ahead of schedule. Winning 10 games and making the playoffs with a rookie quarterback has put the Broncos on the fast track.

Entering the 2025 offseason, the Broncos have some big decisions to make and some key roster holes to fill. Today, we're previewing Broncos free agency with everything fans need to know as the team navigates the offseason.

Roster Needs

Running Back
Tight End
Wide Receiver
O-Line Depth
Backup Quarterback
D-Line
Inside Linebacker
Safety

Philosophically, teams work to fill the most glaring roster holes with free-agent acquisitions. This allows teams — in theory — to take more of the long view in the NFL draft and pick the best players available, instead of knee-jerking based on need.

The Broncos won't be able to fill every roster hole in free agency, but there's a reason it comes a month before the draft.

Cap Space: $35,776,255

According to Over The Cap, the Broncos have an effective cap space of $35.7M. The team will still be carrying some of the dead money from Russell Wilson's albatross of a contract, but unlike 2024, the Broncos will have the breathing room to make a splash and perhaps even extend a player or two entering a contract year.

Unrestricted Free Agents

D.J. Jones | DT (starter)
Javonte Williams | RB (starter)
Michael Burton | FB (starter)
Cody Barton | LB (starter)
Justin Strnad | LB (starter)
Riley Dixon | P (specialist)
Tremon Smith | CB (special teams stud)
Zach Wilson | QB
Jarrett Stidham | QB
Matt Peart | OT
Zach Cunningham | LB
Lil’Jordan Humphrey | WR
Quinn Bailey | OL

Restricted Free Agents

Mitchell Fraboni | LS

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

Lucas Krull | TE
Devon Key | S
Dondrea Tillman | OLB
Jordan Jackson | DL
Ja’Quan McMillian | CB

Key Players Entering a Contract Year

Zach Allen | DL
Nik Bonitto | OLB
John Franklin-Myers | DL
Malcolm Roach | DL
Courtland Sutton | WR

Potential Cap Casualties

John Franklin-Myers | DL
P.J. Locke | S
Alex Singleton | LB
Adam Trautman | TE

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Outlook

Franklin-Myers is listed as both a key player entering a contract year and a possible cap casualty, but it's very unlikely the Broncos will cut him. More likely, the team will approach him about a new deal because his seven sacks were tremendous upfront, and the Broncos are already staring down the barrel of figuring out how to replace Jones in the starting lineup.

Safety is a bigger need for the Broncos than perhaps some might have guessed entering the offseason. Locke did not play well in his first full year as a starter, and while he's under contract for 2025, the Broncos will be looking to add an upgrade, at best, and could cut him and save $4.19M on the cap, at worst.

Trautman is another starter whom the Broncos will look to upgrade this offseason. Whether that comes in free agency or the draft, time will tell, but there's no question the lack of a veritcal receiving threat at tight end to help stretch the field hurt the Broncos and Bo Nix this past season.

I'd worry a bit more over Singleton's standing as a potential cap casualty if the Broncos didn't already have two starters at linebacker hitting free agency. Yes, the Broncos could save $5.5M on the cap by cutting Singleton, and he is coming off a season mostly lost to injury, but he's the only experienced linebacker the team has under contract, which likely saves him this time around.

It's fun to speculate on the outside signings the Broncos could and will make this offseason, but the front office has to account for the soon-to-be expiring contracts of crucial starters like Bonitto and Allen, both of whom were selected to the All-Pro Team. In each instance, Denver probably kicks the can down the road, but I could see the team coming to terms with Bonitto on an extension this summer.

The Broncos have obvious needs at the skill positions, and that includes quarterback. Nix is the guy moving forward, but both of his backups are entering unrestricted free agency. Whether Denver re-signs one of them or an outside guy, Nix's mid-season back injury is a reminder that it's better to have and not need than to need and not have.

It's unlikely that Williams will be retained at running back, based on his performance last season and the rumor mill. But NFL insiders sound optimistic that the Broncos could re-sign Jones to keep this excellent defensive line intact.

What becomes of Barton and Strnad is anybody's guess, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Broncos re-sign one of them, if not both. When Singleton went down with his ACL tear, inside linebacker became the weak link on defense, so the Broncos might be looking to find new faces to compete next to Singleton in 2025.

We'll do another offseason primer in the coming days that takes the big need positions and corresponds them to available free agents. The Broncos have the money to make a splash or two and shore up most of their pressing roster holes well in time for the draft in April.

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