What a New Contract Would Look Like for Broncos LB Justin Strnad

The Denver Broncos will rely on Justin Strnad even more moving forward. With the veteran linebacker in a contract year, what would a new deal look like?

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad (40) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half against the New York Giants at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Denver Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad has become a key player over the past few seasons. After missing his rookie season in 2020 because of injury, he became an integral part of special teams, and more recently, he's seen more snaps on defense.

After the former fifth-round pick played out his rookie contract, Strnad re-signed with the Broncos during the 2024 offseason for $1.5 million with $750K guaranteed. He then re-signed again in 2025, this time getting a one-year, fully guaranteed deal worth nearly $2.8M.

While Strnad isn't an elite player, he's been effective when called into action. With Alex Singleton's recent cancer diagnosis, the fact that he's getting older and set to become a free agent, it would make sense to keep Strnad, especially with 2023 third-round pick Drew Sanders missing too much time with injuries.

What is Strnad Worth?

The question is how much is Strnad worth. It turns out that Singleton's contract might be the blueprint for a new deal for Strnad.

Singleton originally signed with the Broncos in 2022 for one year at $1.115M, the veteran minimum at the time for a player with his experience. He was one of the bright spots in 2022 and re-signed with the Broncos for three years at $18M with $9M fully guaranteed.

Like Strand, Singleton isn't an elite player, but he was effective for the most part. Singleton is a good run defender but struggles in coverage. He missed most of 2024 with a torn ACL, and that recovery from injury affected his run defense early in this season.

Strnad does a better job with coverage than Singleton, and while the latter played quite a bit of special teams in 2022, he has barely played in the third phase since. Overall, Strnad is more valuable to the Broncos than Singleton at this point.

With Singleton's deal expiring, the Broncos could afford to reward Strnad with a bigger payday. And given that Singleton got $18M over three years with half of it fully guaranteed, such a deal would make sense for Strnad.

The Broncos could opt to give Strnad slightly more than that, given that the salary cap is expected to rise and that player salaries should follow suit.

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A Projected Extension for Strnad

September 7, 2025: Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton (49) and Denver Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad (40) celebrate a sack in the second half of the football game between the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans. | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

A reasonable deal for Strnad would be three years for $21M with $10.5M fully guaranteed. Such a deal would give him a signing bonus — say for $6M — with his 2026 base salary and part of his 2027 base salary fully guaranteed. His 2026 base salary could be $1.5M, then his 2027 salary could be $7M with $3M fully guaranteed.

That deal would commit the Broncos to Strnad for 2026 with a portion due in 2027, though the Broncos could get out of the deal if necessary. It would be a good way to reward Strnad for his play over the past couple of seasons. And the team is about to rely on him even more, with Singleton having to step away due to his cancer fight.

The Takeaway

It would be ideal for the Broncos to keep Strnad around so they have an experienced linebacker alongside Dre Greenlaw. If the Broncos don't keep Strnad, they would have to find a replacement, likely another free-agent linebacker.

Chances are, the Broncos won't be quick to extend Strnad because he's not an elite player and won't reach the top of the market. Furthermore, the Broncos were able to re-sign Singleton just as 2023 free agency got underway, and they should be able to do the same with Strnad.

The Broncos should keep Strnad, but they can take their time here. While it's good to reward players for their contributions, he's an example of a player you can reward without rushing into a deal.