Report: Bryce Callahan Accepts Pay-Cut, Giving Broncos More Cap Space
One year ago, the Denver Broncos signed cornerback Bryce Callahan to a three-year deal worth $21 million. Fast forward to today, and the Broncos have paid out $6.5M to Callahan and yet, he hasn't even played one snap for the team.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Broncos approached Callahan about taking a pay-cut and the player accepted. Here are the details of Callahan's contract restructure that freed up $1.8M on the team's 2020 salary cap.
It's a team-player move by Callahan, who's under no obligation to play ball with the team on taking a pay-cut. Of course, if the Broncos threatened to cut him or else, that sort of ultimatum crystallizes a player's priorities quite quickly, especially one who hasn't played any meaningful football since early December of 2018.
That's not to say the Broncos strong-armed Callahan, or threatened to cut him. It could very well be a case of the team asking and the player obliging because he's a good team player.
Undoubtedly, Callahan has a lot to prove. A former college free agent out of Rice, Callahan signed with the Chicago Bears in 2015, which coincided with the arrival of Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator.
Callahan developed quickly under Fangio and then Bears DBs Coach (current Broncos' defensive coordinator) Ed Donatell. By 2018 — Callahan's fourth year — he had developed into one of the best slot corners in the NFL.
Fangio believed Callahan could also play outside the numbers, which is one of the reasons the Broncos pursued Callahan in free agency a year ago. The early returns reinforced Fangio's view, as Callahan was one of the sensations of OTAs and early training camp.
But the foot injury that cut his 2018 campaign short by a few games was reaggravated when a teammate stepped on his foot during a summer scrimmage in late July. From there, the Broncos tried to nurse Callahan along and even carried him on the 53-man roster for several weeks of the regular season.
After undergoing a foot procedure to 'promote recovery', which was a last-ditch effort that didn't net the results team doctors hoped for, the Broncos finally bit the bullet and placed Callahan on injured reserve. Meanwhile, the team really struggled at the cornerback position in 2019.
Chris Harris, Jr., playing his first season in Fangio's complex scheme, took on most of the pressure, while the likes of Isaac Yiadom, Duke Dawson and Davontae Harris failed to help carry the load. De'Vante Bausby showed that he was capable in Fangio's scheme, but a neck injury in Week 5 quickly ended his season just as it was beginning.
Harris, Jr. is now an L.A. Charger and the Broncos have added a new prospective No. 1 corner in A.J. Bouye, while re-signing Bausby to a one-year deal. Callahan, on paper, is the Broncos' No. 2 corner and top slot corner, but he's got to bounce back from that foot.
Callahan, 28 years old, underwent another corrective surgery when he was placed on IR last fall, so here's to hoping that by the time the Broncos hit the grass this spring/summer for OTAs, he's back to feeling like himself and can contribute — at a discounted rate.
I like that Callahan can earn back that $2M haircut. It shows that the team still believes in him and gives him something to work for.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
