Broncos Restructure Contracts of DL Mike Purcell, K Brandon McManus

Lost in the fray of free agency madness, the Denver Broncos agreed to contract restructures with starting defensive tackle Mike Purcell and kicker Brandon McManus, converting each player's 2021 base salary into signing bonuses.

The news was broken by Adam Schefter McManus himself via Twitter on Friday.

"Denver Broncos are converting Brandon McManus 2021 roster bonus into signing bonus to clear cap space, per @thekidmcmanus," he tweeted.

"In addition to Brandon McManus, the Denver Broncos will also be converting Mike Purcells roster bonus into a signing bonus to create cap space, per @thekidmcmanus & @m_purcell64," he tweeted.

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The dual restructures created roughly $3.5 million in additional salary-cap space for the Broncos, currently the NFL's third-flushest team with $37.071 million in available funds, per Spotrac.com.

Purcell inked a three-year, $11.5 million extension last October. The soon-to-be 30-year-old will return as the team's primary nose man — the anchor of Vic Fangio's imposing defense — following an injury-ruined 2020 campaign in which he appeared in just six games, logging 15 tackles.

McManus, 29, signed a four-year, $17.2 million extension last September, becoming the league's fifth-highest-paid kicker at $4.3 million annually. He successfully converted 28-of-34 (82.4%) field goal tries in 2020, with a career-long of 58 yards. McManus also drilled 24-of-27 extra-point attempts.

The alterations capped off a hectic week for new Broncos general manager George Paton, who executed a flurry of in- and out-of-house moves prior to Friday. Among other transactions, Paton signed cornerback Ronald Darby and running back Mike Boone, extended safety Justin Simmons and defensive end Shelby Harris, and retained linebacker Von Miller. On Saturday, the team landed former Bears All-Pro CB Kyle Fuller, who received a one-year, $9.5 million deal.

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