The Denver Broncos have spent the Russell Wilson dead-cap years cleaning up a mess that could have buried a team for a long time. Instead, they’ve come out of it in decent shape. The final chunk of Wilson’s dead cap is off the books now that the 2025 NFL season is over, and Denver can finally move forward without that massive financial drag.
That turnaround matters because the Broncos didn’t exactly waste those seasons. While $85 million in dead cap sat on the books, Denver still won 24 regular-season games and reached the playoffs, falling one game short of the Super Bowl in 2025. That’s a pretty strong recovery from a contract disaster.
Even with a roster full of expensive deals, the Broncos are in a healthy spot financially. General Manager George Paton has shown he’s willing to pay players who earn it, and Bo Nix being on a rookie deal gives the team another advantage.
So the Broncos don’t really have a truly ugly contract situation overall. But if you’re looking for the one deal that stands out as the worst for 2026, it’s DJ Jones.
Jones is not the obvious name most people would guess. Alex Singleton and Evan Engram make sense as first guesses.
Singleton signed a two-year, $15 million deal this offseason with $11 million fully guaranteed. Denver could move on after the 2026 season if needed, but it’s a short-term contract, not a huge number, and his knowledge of Vance Joseph’s complex defense gives him real value.
Engram hasn’t fully matched his price tag either, but he did help the Broncos get much more out of the tight end position in 2025. He caught 50 passes for 461 yards. His $11.5 million per year deal should have produced more, but he still gave Denver what it needed.
Jones is different. He’s a solid player, and that part matters.
He’s been strong against the run, able to absorb double teams, and has been a steady presence on the Broncos’ defensive line since 2022. This is not a bad football player being singled out for no reason.
But the money has started to outgrow the role. Jones played only 40 percent of Denver’s defensive snaps in 2025, logging 431 total snaps.
That was his lowest workload since joining the team. He played 560 snaps in 2022 and 568 in 2023, before dropping to 465 and then 431 over the last two seasons.
There’s nothing wrong with managing a veteran’s workload over a 17-game season. The issue is the contract attached to it.
Jones is on a three-year, $39 million deal, which works out to $13 million per year with $26 million fully guaranteed. For a player who is now more of a part-time run stuffer, that’s steep.
His 2026 cap hit jumps to $14.57 million after sitting at $6.6 million in 2025. Over The Cap values him at just $4.12 million, which makes the gap between pay and production look even wider.
So while Denver doesn’t have the kind of contract nightmare that can wreck a roster, Jones is the one deal that looks bloated for what the Broncos are getting back. At this stage, the price tag feels heavy for a player who is no longer on the field full time.
In Other News...
Broncos Suddenly Face A Real Marvin Mims Jr. Contract Dilemma
Marvin Mims Jr. has put the Broncos in a familiar spot for a team that likes to think ahead: a young, productive player is now eligible for a new deal, and the market around him is moving quickly. Mims has already built a reputation as one of the NFLs most dangerous return specialists while still carving out a role on offense, and that combination has made him a useful case study as other receivers around the league cash in on extensions.
The tricky part for Denver is figuring out how to price a player whose value shows up so clearly on special teams, even if his offensive snap count has not yet matched the profile of a full-time receiver. With recent deals for players in a similar age and production range helping set the market, Mims appears to be in line for a meaningful raise, and the Broncos will have to decide how much they want to pay for a weapon whose best work may still be ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos May Need One More Veteran Before This Becomes A Problem
The Broncos have done most of the obvious work at inside linebacker, bringing back Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad after moving on from Dre Greenlaw, but the position still looks a little thin once you get past the top of the depth chart. That is the part that tends to matter once camp starts and the hits get real, because Denver does not have much proven experience waiting behind its starters if injuries or rotation needs create a bigger role than expected.
So it would not be a surprise if the Broncos keep scanning for a veteran who can steady that room before it becomes an issue. One possibility is a familiar face with recent experience in Denver, and the timing could make sense if the Broncos decide they want more insurance without overcommitting resources. For now, it is the kind of move that sits just below the surface, but it is also the kind that can become important quickly once camp opens. [Read more 🡒]