The Broncos have spent the last few years proving they’re willing to pay for the right players, and that approach could get tested again after the 2026 season. Denver has made a point of keeping its own talent when possible, but a new wave of contract decisions is coming, and a few players could play their way into a price tag the team won’t be able to match.
That’s the reality for a roster that’s built around retaining homegrown talent and spending wisely. Even through the Russell Wilson dead cap years, Denver found ways to keep the money moving in the right places. Now the next round of extensions is looming, and these five players could make themselves too valuable to keep at a discount.
Riley Moss is one of the more debated names on the roster, but the production is hard to ignore. He’s been the starter opposite Patrick Surtain II for two seasons and led the NFL in 2025 with 19 passes defended.
Opponents targeted him more than 100 times, and while he dealt with pass interference penalties, plenty of fans felt some of those flags were questionable at best. The bottom line is that Moss has established himself as a starting-caliber corner in the middle of his prime.
How Denver uses Jahdae Barron will matter here, because the Broncos already have Surtain on a deal worth well over $20 million per year and still have other secondary choices to sort through. Moss could be playing himself into a number Denver won’t want to meet.
Ja'Quan McMillian is in a similar spot, only his rise has been reflected in his paycheck already. He went from making $1.030 million in 2025 to being slated for $5.767 million in 2026, which is roughly a 500 percent jump.
That kind of raise says plenty about how the Broncos view him. The challenge is that there isn’t a clean market for slot corners, so figuring out his true value could get tricky.
Still, McMillian brings more than just coverage ability. He can get into the backfield against the run, he can blitz, and he took a clear step forward in coverage in 2025.
If he repeats that season, Denver may be staring at an expensive contract conversation.
Brandon Jones might be the most underappreciated player on the team. He does a little bit of everything at safety, and he does it well.
He’s strong in coverage, physical near the line of scrimmage, and forms one of the best safety tandems in the league with Talanoa Hufanga. The concern is durability, since Jones has missed time in both seasons with the Broncos.
He has one year left on the three-year deal he signed, a pact worth about $6.67 million per year, which ranks just 28th among safeties. That number looks light compared with the market, where 22 safeties are making at least $10 million annually.
Through two seasons in Denver, Jones has averaged 2 interceptions, 10 passes defended and 110 total tackles across a full 17-game season. The production is there, and that could make him too expensive to keep.
Eyioma Uwazurike may be the next man up on the defensive line. With John Franklin-Myers now with the Tennessee Titans on a deal worth over $20 million per year, Uwazurike looks like the favorite to step into that role.
He was the primary backup in 2025 and put together a solid season with 3.5 sacks, 39 total tackles, five tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. At 6'6 and 320 pounds, he has the size, length and motor to project as a starter.
But Denver is already paying plenty of other defensive linemen, and that could make a breakout season costly. The Broncos also have Tyler Onyedim and Sai'vion Jones in the room, so they may already be preparing for the possibility that Uwazurike gets priced out.
Ben Powers is the one starting offensive lineman on the roster who isn’t under contract beyond 2026, and that says a lot about where this is headed. Denver drafted Kage Casey in the 2026 NFL Draft and re-signed Alex Palczewski to a two-year deal, which makes it feel like the Broncos are already setting up for a future without Powers.
He’s a steady guard and would absolutely draw interest on the open market in 2027. He’s making over $10 million per year now after signing a $52 million deal with Denver in 2023, and with the cap climbing, he could be in line for another contract in that range.
This feels less like a question of whether Powers is worth it and more like a case where Denver may simply not have the room to bring him back.
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