The Broncos have in their possession the greatest cure for salary cap problems ever devised in the NFL: Cash Money. Not a single Bronco's contract has been converted into bonus money - spreading out the cap hit - and keeping the players happy with immediate cash flow. The Broncos could probable save $30-40 million in cap space by converting contracts and paying bonus money up front. The Broncos are owned by a true cash cow. What we discuss here is not really a problem.
The problem is Payton doesn't just want to wholesale keep the roster he has - he wants his guys - to play his game, This is really a game of who stays and who leaves Denver.
BTW - @Springsteen - Great job this year by your nephew - I'd say he is worth of assistant coach of the year consideration around the league. New QB and new WRS and they pulled it off.
Denver can absorb all $85M in dead cap hit in 2024, which is more than double the NFL record for a single player, per the Denver Post, or it can spread that number out over the next two seasons.
Option 1 would be to divvy it up with $53M going toward the 2024 cap and $32M being diverted to 2025, or Denver can eat $35.4M in 2024 (the salary it would be paying Wilson anyway if he were playing) and push $49.6M to 2025.
Before the cap jump, the entirety of Wilson’s $85M dead money would have accounted for 35.1% of the Broncos 2024 salary cap, but now it’s 33.3%. If they choose to do the $53M/$32M option, he would account for 20.8% of the cap instead of 21.9%, and if they go the $35.4M/$49.6M route, he’d account for 13.9% of the cap instead of 14.6%.
Denver owes Wilson $39M guaranteed in 2024 whether he’s on its roster or not, but the rest of the money it has to pay him once he’s officially released just became a little easier to cope with.
Such a tough blow for a good guy with relatively identical injuries in back to back years. Could see this coming when he went down at the start of last season though. Reports are they intend to keep Sutton but Jeudy is probably on the trading block. Love the upside that Mims might bring.