Clady vs. Okung: It’s One Or The Other

I want to touch briefly on the Broncos’ visit with Russell Okung and what it could mean, depending on what Okung and the Broncos decide to do.

We know that the Broncos have had talks with Ryan Clady about reducing his cap charge. I imagine the Broncos want him to take a pay cut, with the ability to earn money back through incentives. I also believe Clady and his agent are hopeful that they could get an additional year added to his contract as a concession for any salary reduction.

As for Okung, I think he has to realize that he’s not going to get paid top money because his play hasn’t demonstrated that’s justified. The question becomes how much money he should get and whether or not he would play at left tackle.
Continue reading Clady vs. Okung: It’s One Or The Other

2013 First Rounders: Whose Options Should Be Exercised?

As free agency settles down, NFL teams will have other decisions to make as to the future of certain players on their teams, one of those being whether or not to pick up the fifth-year options on 2013 first-round draft choices.

I’ve grouped the 2013 draft choices into categories based on what I would do regarding those players. I’ll get the obvious ones on either side of the spectrum out of the way, then go to those which I tend to lean one way but could see the argument for doing the opposite.
Continue reading 2013 First Rounders: Whose Options Should Be Exercised?

Cardinals Sign Evan Mathis

At $6 million, Mathis would be valued as a 5th round compensatory pick for the Broncos in 2017.  Because the Broncos have now lost 6 compensatory free agents and only gained one, the 5th rounder for Evan Mathis will supersede a previous 7th rounder projected for Ryan Harris.  The Broncos now gain the leverage to sign a CFA that has a value of a 6th rounder or less (likely a maximum APY of $5 million) without sacrificing their current holding of two 3rd round comp picks (for Brock Osweiler and Malik Jackson) and two 5th round comp picks (for Danny Trevathan and Mathis) in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Gut Reaction: CJ Anderson Is Still A Bronco

I wrote a few days ago that the Broncos’ original-round tender to CJ Anderson might have been a sign that they weren’t entirely sure if they wanted to keep him for the long term or not, and going higher might have signaled they wanted to extend him when they hadn’t made up their mind.

After they decided to match the offer the Miami Dolphins gave Anderson, I will say I was wrong about that. Instead, it does appear the original RFA tender decision came, in part, because John Elway underestimated the market for running backs.

With that said, there might have been another reason why the Broncos tendered Anderson at a low level: Because they were looking at getting every penny they could toward paying for a starting quarterback.
Continue reading Gut Reaction: CJ Anderson Is Still A Bronco

Broncos Will Match CJ Anderson’s Offer Sheet

John Elway has confirmed the news.

UPDATE, 2:45 PM MT: Mike Klis has now clarified the details of Anderson’s new contract.  In a tabular form, it should look like this:

Base Salary (Guaranteed) Prorated Bonus Workout Bonus Cap Number Dead Money (pre-June 1 cut) Cap Savings (pre-June 1 cut)
$675,000 $1,312,500 $100,000 $2,087,500 $7,625,000 ($5,537,500)
$2,900,000
$1,700,000		 $1,312,500 $100,000 $4,312,500 $5,637,500 ($1,325,000)
$4,500,000 $1,312,500 $0 $5,812,500 $2,625,000 $3,187,500
$4,500,000 $1,312,500 $0 $5,812,500 $1,312,500 $4,500,000