Riley Moss Eyes One Clear Goal Entering a Contract Year and It's Not Money

Riley Moss is entering a pivotal summer. The Denver Broncos' cornerback enters his fourth season as a 2023 third-round pick.

Moss was part of Sean Payton's maiden draft class, and now the young cornerback is facing a contract year. Complicating Moss's outlook on garnering a possible extension from the Broncos is the fact that the team has several other key players in line for a new deal, including his defensive backfield mate, Ja'Quan McMillian.

However, Moss isn't worried about his expiring contract. He knows that if he keeps his nose to the grindstone, as he always has, the business side of things will fall into place.

“To be honest, no. It’ll handle itself out like it always has,” Moss said via The Denver Post's Parker Gabriel. “I trust in God, and I trust in myself, and I’m just going to go out, do my thing, continue to do my thing, and the rest will take care of itself.”

The Penalty Issue

Riley Moss and Beaux Collins — Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) indicates incomplete as New York Giants wide receiver Beaux Collins (81). | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Whether things fall into place with the Broncos or another team remains to be seen, but it's hard to imagine Moss not factoring into the team's long-term plans. After all, not only was he part of Payton's first draft class, but he's a player the Broncos have developed into one of the NFL's premier No. 2 cornerbacks.

The drawback with Moss has always been his penchant for drawing the penalty, but after posting 12 last season, he resolved to fix the technical issues that were leading to his excessively high number of flags.

Moss worked on it during the Broncos' Week 12 bye, and the penalties went away. That theme lasted down the stretch and throughout Denver's deep playoff run.

A No-Brainer Re-Sign

If Moss can show that the penalty plague is officially in the rearview, it would make him a no-brainer re-sign for the Broncos. I mean, no cornerback is ever going to be perfect, but his run-ins with the yellow laundry crossed the boundaries of the absurd last season, leading Patrick Surtain II to surmise on his podcast, in a very tongue-in-cheek way, that Moss was being profiled by officials for being white.

"Riley [is] balling, bro. I ain't going to lie. I think they're racial profiling my dog, though, man,"
Surtain said in October on his Closed On Sundays podcast. "They're calling all these flags on my boy, man. I ain't going to lie; the flags is egregious."

Surtain's words may actually have had an effect on the officials, because the penalties went away shortly after that. Moss put in the work to clean up the penalties, with a little help from his friend PS2, and has proven his value to the Broncos.

Moss has been a reliable starter since 2024, and when Surtain was lost to injury for three games last season, Moss rolled over to the No. 1 cornerback spot and held it down with authority. The Broncos' defense didn't skip a beat sans Surtain.

More Ball Production

Riley Moss's first career interception — Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) celebrates his interception in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Beyond proving that the penalties are no longer a fixture of his game, Moss could really improve his stock by increasing his takeaway production. As a pro, he has just two interceptions and one forced fumble, and after finishing the 2025 season with an insane 19 passes defensed — he was the NFL's most-targeted cornerback, after all — he's resolved to pick a few balls off this season when quarterbacks inevitably test him.

“It’s me, myself and I,” Moss said via Gabriel. “I only had one pick and I had like (19) passes defended or whatever the heck it was. We’re going to start coming down with those a little more often. That’s something you work in practice and we’re going to get some more turnovers for sure.”

The takeaway issue has been a prime focus of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's this offseason. The Broncos nearly finished with a single-season franchise low last year, totaling just 14 for the whole season.

Hopefully, Joseph's push will lead to an increase in takeaways, giving Bo Nix and the offense some extra possessions in 2026.

The Takeaway

There's a chance the Broncos will wait until the bye to fully decide whether to offer an extension to Moss, just to see if his improvement in the penalty department is permanent. Then again, because of his draft pedigree and accomplishments as a starter, the Broncos could approach him about an extension in August, shortly after training camp gets underway.

Broncos GM George Paton has two stretches on the NFL calendar when he tends to get extensions done: August, or right before the season starts, and during the bye. Training camp starts on July 28, while Denver's bye this season is in Week 10.

However it shakes out, Moss will continue to bet on himself. If the Broncos opt not to re-sign him, he could command upwards of $20-plus million per year on the open market next offseason as a top CB2 with CB1 upside.

Moss would need to produce another top-shelf season in 2026 and stay healthy, though, to maximize his earning potential next offseason. Don't be surprised if the Broncos make that a moot point, though, by extending him this summer.

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