New Details Shed Light on Ben Powers' Contract Restructure

Earlier this week, we learned that the Denver Broncos had reworked the contract of left guard Ben Powers, which reduced his base salary but fully guaranteed that salary. It was a protection he didn’t originally have in the final year of his deal.

As Broncos training camp marches on, The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel reported the details of Powers's restructure on Friday. Per NFLPA data, Powers accepted a reduced base salary by nearly two-thirds. He was originally set to make $12.49 million this year, but will instead make $4.65 million with the sum fully guaranteed.

Powers also received a $500K signing bonus and saw his per-game roster bonus, originally set at $510K, increased to $850K.

Powers can earn an additional $2 million in incentives. If those incentives are earned, they will apply to the Broncos' 2027 salary cap.

Where it Leaves the Salary Cap

Bo Nix, Ben Powers, and D.J. Jones. — Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10), guard Ben Powers (74) and defensive tackle D.J. Jones (93) in the tunnel before game against the Philadelphia Eagles. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Broncos had about $29.5 million in cap space prior to the revised Powers contract. His cap hit has been reduced from $18.2 million to $10.6 million, which should give the Broncos about $37.1 million in cap space.

One thing to keep in mind about the cap space is that the top 51 rule is still in effect, meaning only the top 51 cap hits count toward the cap. Once the Broncos' 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad are set, all players will count toward the cap.

Still, the Broncos gained a significant amount of cap space with the reworked deal. It remains to be seen what the Broncos will do with that cap space, but it’s worth noting that they still have a couple of players they might want to extend before the season starts.

The Broncos also have to prepare for an eventual extension for quarterback Bo Nix in 2027. The team could opt to carry a lot of cap space over to 2027 to help accommodate that.

The Takeaway

As for Powers, it's a bit surprising that he accepted a significant pay cut, but the Broncos might have been prepared to roll with other players on the roster. Alex Palczewski, who started multiple games last season when Powers was out with a biceps injury, signed a two-year, $9.5 million deal earlier this year.

The Broncos also drafted Kage Casey in Round 4, who could be seen as a potential starting left guard in the future. Denver also has hopes for Nick Gargiulo as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury he suffered in the preseason last year.

Note: The original version of this article reported that Powers had $7 million he could earn in incentives this year. That number is actually $2 million.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google