Broncos GM George Paton on Bradley Chubb Contract Talks: 'We'll See How That Plays Out'
It does not sound as if the Denver Broncos are in a rush to hand Bradley Chubb a new NFL deal.
Holding his 2022 pre-draft press conference, Broncos general manager George Paton indicated that negotiations with the fifth-year linebacker have been put on pause until the calendar clears. If then.
“We have a lot going on. We’re focused on the draft; we’re focused on the offseason," Paton said Friday, April 22. "We’ll just kind of see how that plays out.”
Chubb is entering the final chapter of his $27.271 million rookie contract, a make-or-break campaign for the oft-injured former No. 5 overall pick. Turning 26 in June, he's scheduled to earn $13.926 million this fall — fully guaranteed — while counting as much against Denver's salary cap.
Chubb has missed 24 games since 2018 when he exploded onto the scene with 12 sacks and 21 quarterback hits. From that point, he's totaled 8.5 sacks and 29 QB hits, spending more time in the trainer's room than the field despite a 2020 Pro Bowl nod.
"I’m not thinking about [my contract] at all because at the end of the day, I know I didn’t put my best foot forward last year on the field and that’s what it comes down to—making plays and doing things for this organization to help us win," Chubb told reporters on April 14. "I feel like I wasn’t in that position last year, but that’s my main thing. You asked me what my goals are. It’s to play 17 and win these games—as many as possible. That stuff is going to come. If you stress about it, then you start doing things you don’t need to be doing. My main thing is tunnel vision, looking forward and trying to help this team win.”
Now fully healthy, Chubb is presented with a golden opportunity to boost his bank account — not to mention shirk the dreaded "bust" label —working opposite $70 million free-agent acquisition Randy Gregory. Together, the duo is expected to spark a pass rush that ranked 19th in sacks (36) in 2021, down from ninth (42) the prior year.
But whether Chubb is rewarded by the Broncos, or whether he's destined for unrestricted free agency, is entirely up to Chubb, and how his body cooperates.
"I hope Bradley is here a long time," Paton said. "I know he’s going into the last year of his deal. I told you how much I appreciate Bradley, how he’s come back from the injuries. This is the first offseason he hasn’t had to rehab. He’s out there working. [I’m] really high on him as a person, the passion, the grit, the physical-ness. You just can’t have enough pass rushers. If we take a pass rusher [in the draft], that has nothing to do with Bradley. We can’t have enough."
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