Breaking Down RT Mike McGlinchey’s Broncos Future—It's Not So Simple

Mike McGlinchey remains a vital piece of the Broncos’ offensive line, but his age, contract structure, and Bo Nix’s looming extension create a complicated long-term equation for Denver.

Jan 12, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Denver Broncos offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (69) on the sidelines before an AFC wild card game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

With the Denver Broncos one season away from quarterback Bo Nix becoming eligible for a contract extension, we're breaking down each veteran on the roster and assessing their long-term outlook.

For each player, we will examine their current contract status and cap charges, then look at the future outlook, including whether it makes sense to restructure a player to gain cap space.

From there, we'll analyze what makes the most sense for this season and next, and what the Broncos should be prepared to do in the future, if anything.

We'll start this series by looking at Broncos offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey.

Contract Status

After signing as a free agent in 2023, McGlinchey has two years left on his current deal. He is due a $16.99 million base salary and a $510K per-game roster bonus in 2026 and in 2027. None of that money is guaranteed, though.

Each season, McGlinchey counts for a cap charge of $23.775 million. He has a void year in 2028 for cap purposes, which would leave a $2.775 million dead-money charge if he isn't re-signed.

The Broncos restructured McGlinchey's contract in 2024 after releasing Russell Wilson with a post-June 1 designation. The main reason for that restructure was to gain cap space while the Broncos dealt with the dead-money charges from Wilson's release.

Future Outlook

October 19, 2025: Denver Broncos offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (69) sets to block in the second half of the football game between the Denver Broncos and New York Giants. | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

While McGlinchey's contract could, in theory, be restructured to gain cap space either now or next season, it would come with a price: the Broncos would have to add void years to the deal to maximize the amount of space gained.

That, in turn, would increase the dead-money charges that come when his deal expires — unless the Broncos extend him. However, there's no guarantee the Broncos will do so.

The Broncos will have to determine how much McGlinchey wants in an extension and whether the team can work with that, both from a cap and cash standpoint. That will be irrespective of how well he plays during the next two seasons.

As for how the Broncos might replace McGlinchey, they do have Alex Palczewski and Frank Crum, but the former is on a two-year deal that expires after the 2027 season, while the latter would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2027. It remains to be seen how the Broncos will handle Crum's contract situation after this season.

Furthermore, Crum has a small sample size of snaps, and we're still waiting to see if he develops into a potential starter or if being a backup is his ceiling.

The Takeaway

McGlinchey should be with the Broncos in 2026, and as long as he keeps playing well, he should be brought back for 2027. However, the Broncos then need to leave his contract alone.

The reason not to touch his contract is to give the Broncos maximum flexibility regarding McGlinchey's future with the team. If they let him walk, he will have just a small amount of dead money.

However, the Broncos can leave the door open to keeping McGlinchey beyond 2027 if he continues to play well, and he comes at a price point that they can work with. Of course, if he does play well, he might be in high demand in free agency in 2028.

Regardless of what happens this season, though, the Broncos need to consider drafting an offensive tackle in 2027. That way, they'd have another player alongside Crum (assuming he is re-signed for 2027) as a potential replacement for McGlinchey and possibly Palczewski if the Broncos don't keep the latter beyond 2027.

It would be nice to keep everyone on the offensive line together, but cap space and cash commitments will make this difficult. But with that said, there's no need to make a sudden move with McGlinchey — as long as he plays well, the Broncos can keep him in 2027 at the full cap charge.

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