Latest On Broncos’ RB Phillip Lindsay
Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay is one of the best stories of the past several seasons. The Colorado native is the first undrafted free agent to begin his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns, and although he is under contract through 2020, his UDFA status makes him eligible for an extension now.
We heard in December that Denver GM John Elway would explore a new contract for Lindsay this offseason, and Lindsay himself — who is due a considerably below-market $660K salary in 2020 — would obviously like that to happen sooner rather than later. However, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post says a new deal for the Broncos’ RB1 is on the back-burner for the time being.
The two sides may enter into negotiations at some point before the start of the regular season, but not until after free agency and the draft. Elway wants to see how much cap space he has after the bulk of his offseason business has been conducted.
“We would like to be able to do something,” Elway said. “Obviously, Phillip’s been great. If we can do something, we’ll try.”
It doesn’t sound like there’s a ton of urgency on Elway’s end, and that makes sense to a degree. Even if a new deal is not struck before the end of the 2020 season, Lindsay would only be eligible for restricted free agency, so he could be retained with a fairly modest RFA tender.
But the diminutive Lindsay has been terrific for Denver, averaging 4.9 yards per carry over his first two seasons in the league and racking up 17 total TDs. He battled a wrist injury throughout the 2019 campaign but underwent surgery on the wrist in January. He is expected to be fully recovered in time for spring workouts.
Broncos To Let Adam Gotsis Hit FA
Not too long ago, it seemed as if he Broncos and defensive lineman Adam Gotsis would be entering into a multi-year contract. But Gotsis struggled in 2019 after a promising 2018 campaign, and Mike Klis of 9News.com says Denver will let the 2016 second-rounder hit the open market (Twitter link).
Klis also confirmed that the surgery that ended Gotsis’ 2019 season prematurely was to repair Gotsis’ ACL, and that he may miss the first month of the 2020 season. So Gotsis will almost certainly need to settle for a one-year prove-it deal in an effort to rebuild his value, and it does not like such a deal will be coming from the Broncos.
In other Mile High news, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos will not be bringing back linebacker Corey Nelson. Denver selected Nelson in the seventh round of the 2014 draft, and he entered his second tour of duty with the team when he signed a free agent pact last September. But his season ended after seven games due to a torn bicep.
Similarly, the Broncos are not planning to tender RFA corrner De’Vante Bausby, per Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link). Bausby suffered a frightening neck injury in October that was ultimately diagnosed as a cervical sprain, but he has flashed some ability and is reportedly healthy, so he should find a new home at some point this spring.
Though they are preparing to part with Gotsis, Nelson, and Bausby, the Broncos are interested in bringing back linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, as Klis notes in a separate tweet. In his first year with Denver in 2019, Attaochu started a career-high five games while recording 3.5 sacks, also a career best. However, it does not sound as though the Broncos will re-sign him prior to the opening of free agency and will instead wait until after the first wave of FAs have signed.
Broncos To Pick Up Options On K Brandon McManus, LB Todd Davis
A pair of veterans will be back with the Broncos next season. General manager John Elway told reporters (including Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post) that Denver’s picking up the options on kicker Brandon McManus and linebacker Todd Davis. Meanwhile, the Broncos won’t be picking up lineman Ronald Leary‘s option.
McManus has been the team’s full-time kicker since 2014, and he had another solid year during his age-28 season. The veteran connected on 85.3-percent of his field goal attempts and 96.2-percent of his extra point tries last season. McManus signed a three-year extension prior to the 2017 season, and the extra option year will count $4.25MM against the cap.
Davis has also been with the organization since the 2014 season, and he’s continued to evolve into one of the organization’s most productive players. Despite appearing in only 14 games last season, the 27-year-old finished with a career-high 134 tackles. Davis has a cap number of $6MM for next season.
Leary would have counted $9.3MM against the cap next season, and the decision to avoid his option will save the organization around $8.44MM. Denver signed the offensive guard to a four-year deal back in 2017, and he’s started all 29 of his games during his stint with the team. Unfortunately, each of his three seasons with the Broncos ended on the injured reserve.
Broncos Ready To Tag Justin Simmons
No surprise here. On Tuesday, Broncos GM John Elway said that he’ll use the franchise tag on safety Justin Simmons if he can’t reach a long-term pact with safety Justin Simmons (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 
[RELATED: Latest On Broncos’ Joe Flacco]
Simmons has already said that he’s expecting to be tagged, though he’s optimistic about the one-year cuff leading to a multi-year agreement. As our own Sam Robinson noted earlier this week, Elway has used the tag four times during his tenure in order to keep kicker Matt Prater (2012), tackle Ryan Clady (2013), wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (2015), and edge rusher Von Miller (2016). Every time, the Broncos were able to follow up and hammer out a longer contract.
The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus pegged Simmons as the second-best safety in the NFL last year. He’s still only 26 and he has a case to be paid as one of the top players at his position.
Last year, Simmons registered a career-high four interceptions to go along with 15 passes defensed and 93 total tackles. For his part, Simmons wants to stay put.
Broncos Losing Analytics Boss
- The Broncos and analytics director Mitch Tanney will part ways, Mike Klis of 9News notes. Tanney’s exit follows that of director of football administration Mike Sullivan‘s January exit. The Broncos hired longtime CAA agent Rich Hurtado to replace Sullivan, but Klis adds Tanney’s replacement will likely come from within. The five-year Broncos staffer could have a new gig lined up, with the Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran tweeting Tanney may have a bigger role with another team on tap.
Justin Simmons Expects Franchise Tag
John Elway said in December he does not plan to let Justin Simmons walk, and nothing appears to have changed on this front as free agency nears. The Broncos safety expects to receive the franchise tag. After the CBA-related delay, the tag window is set to open Feb. 27 and close March 12.
“We expect to get franchise-tagged,” Simmons said during an interview with Sirius XM Radio’s Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn (via NFL.com). “We’re kind of sitting on the optimistic side of things, just because in the past when the Broncos have used the tag and Elway’s used it, they’ve always worked out a long-term deal.”
Simmons would be the fifth Broncos tag in Elway’s GM era, following Matt Prater (2012), Ryan Clady (2013), Demaryius Thomas (2015) and Von Miller (2016). All four signed extensions before the mid-July deadline. With Simmons being one of Elway’s top draft picks — chosen 98th overall in 2016 — it seems a near-certainty the Boston College alum will be tagged if the sides cannot come to an extension agreement by March 12.
A safety tag is expected to cost nearly $13MM. But the safety market reawakened in 2019, with Landon Collins, Tyrann Mathieu, Kevin Byard and Eddie Jackson moving the bar past the $14MM-per-year point. While Simmons has no Pro Bowls on his resume, he finished last season as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 overall safety and led all safeties with 15 passes defensed.
The Broncos are projected to hold $62MM-plus in cap space — sixth-most in the league. Although they already have a $12MM-AAV deal in place at safety, having signed Kareem Jackson last year and moved him from cornerback to safety, that contract only features one more season of guaranteed money. At 26, Simmons is five years younger than Jackson. An extension for the former will run beyond the life of Jackson’s pact, which goes through 2021.
Latest On Broncos’ Joe Flacco
After Joe Flacco‘s latest beck MRI, the Broncos are confident that the quarterback will be able to play in 2020, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter) hears. Of course, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be playing in Denver. 
If the Broncos move forward with youngster Drew Lock as their starter, Flacco would be a logical veteran backup. However, his contract calls for $20.25MM in base salary next year, so he’d have to agree to a sizable pay cut in order to make that work. Barring a new deal, the Broncos can release Flacco to save $10MM+ against the cap with $13.6MM left in dead money.
Injuries have hampered Flacco throughout his career. He missed time in 2015 and 2018 and also played through back pain in 2017, but his latest neck injury was especially serious. In early November, the Broncos shut the signal caller down for the second half of the season.
Flacco, 35, completed 65.3% of his passes in 2019, higher than any previous season in his career. That doesn’t quite tell the whole story, though – he also threw just six touchdown passes against five interceptions.
If Flacco reaches free agency, he’ll be overshadowed by a crop of QBs that may include some mix of Tom Brady, Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater, and other big names. Still, his latest scan indicates that he’ll be ready to go for teams eyeing a backup or a bridge solution for a rookie passer.
Chris Harris Doesn’t Expect Broncos Return
Four-time Pro Bowler Chris Harris is on his way to free agency. Based on the lack of talks between him and the Broncos, he figures that he’s also on his way to a new team. 
[RELATED: Looking Back At Shannon Sharpe’s Departure From The Broncos]
“I think that’s the direction right now,” Harris said (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). “I think everybody deserves to see what they’re worth, and I deserve it at this point. I think I worked my tail off for nine years, I gave the city every ounce of effort that I could give and, shoot, it’s time to see what everybody else thinks about me.”
Harris, 31 in June, has spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the Broncos. The Broncos have made an effort to keep him, though their offer of a $12MM/year deal before last year’s trade deadline fell short. Reportedly, that offer included only one guaranteed season. In terms of real money, Harris can probably do a lot better elsewhere, even though he didn’t play up to his usual standards in 2019.
“I didn’t really do what I’ve done in the past,” Harris said. “I (previously) played everywhere on the field on the defensive side, getting everybody lined up, telling them what’s about to happen and things like that. But when really, when you just have me at corner, I’m just playing corner. I’m not doing everything that I’m doing on the football field.”
In 2014, Harris passed up his chance at the open market by signing a team-friendly extension. He won’t be doing that this time as there should be several clubs ready to discuss deals in the $15MM/year range with him.
Other notable free agent corners this offseason include James Bradberry, Josh Norman, Logan Ryan, Byron Jones, and Mike Hilton. Meanwhile, teams are burning up the phone lines with interest in Lions star Darius Slay.
AFC West Notes: Chargers, Rivers, Broncos
Where will quarterback Philip Rivers land after parting ways with the Chargers this offseason? This week, longtime teammate and pending free agent Melvin Gordon took an educated guess.
“I think he’ll go to the Colts,” Gordon told CBS Sports Network. “I don’t know, that’s just my thought. He has Nick (Sirianni) there, the (offensive coordinator), he came from here. They run the same playbook, so it’d be easy, he could come right in….That’s probably the best fit.”
Gordon doesn’t claim to have inside info, but it’s a logical thought – Rivers’ familiarity with Sirianni and head coach Frank Reich (the Bolts’ QB coach and OC during some of Rivers’ best seasons) would make for a seamless transition. The Colts, meanwhile, are far from sold on Jacoby Brissett and they have a clear need for a proven winner under center.
Rivers, 38, says that he has two years left of football, at max. After moving on from the only franchise that he’s ever known, he could spend his twilight years with familiar faces for one more chance at a Super Bowl ring.
Here’s a look at the AFC West:
- Could the Chargers replace Rivers with Tom Brady? Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke with league execs about Brady’s potential destinations and found a wide range of takes on Brady’s odds of landing with the Bolts. “I think the Chargers would write whatever contract Brady needs to get,” an exec said. “They are the only team that would do that, in my opinion…If they can get Brady, then I think all of a sudden they become a real competitor for the Rams in the market.” Others, however, were quick to point out the Chargers’ organizational philosophy of spreading dollars around. “The Chargers ain’t paying anybody $30 million – anybody,” another exec said.
- In an in-depth and worthwhile read, The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala examined the power struggle surrounding the Broncos‘ ownership situation. Ultimately, the messy in-fighting could result in the sale of the franchise.
- Last week, former Raiders edge rusher Lamarr Houston announced his retirement from football after eight seasons in the NFL.
This Date In Transactions History: Ravens Sign Shannon Sharpe
Twenty years ago today, Shannon Sharpe began a memorable NFL second act. After 10 seasons with the Broncos, the future Hall of Fame tight end opted for a change and signed with the Ravens.
Baltimore added the then-31-year-old Sharpe on a four-year, $13.8MM deal with a $4.5MM signing bonus. This offer eclipsed what Denver was proposing by around $1MM per year. This turned out to be a seminal transaction, based on where the Ravens were headed.
Sharpe suffered a broken collarbone early in a down 1999 season for the Broncos, who went 6-10 after losing both Sharpe and reigning MVP Terrell Davis that October. Those injuries came months after John Elway‘s retirement. Sharpe later returned to the Broncos but did so after being a critical component on the best team in Ravens history.
Sharpe proved to be a key get for the Ravens, then a fifth-season franchise without a playoff berth. Baltimore in 2000 featured one of the NFL’s all-time great defenses, but Sharpe led that team with 810 receiving yards. A four-time All-Pro in the 1990s, Sharpe came up big during Baltimore’s playoff run. He caught a 58-yard touchdown pass in the Ravens’ 21-3 win over the Broncos in the wild-card round, and his one reception against the Raiders two weeks later became a 96-yard score in a 16-3 Raven road win. The Ravens routed the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, giving Sharpe a third Super Bowl ring.
The Ravens were not as successful in 2001, having made a Trent Dilfer-for-Elvis Grbac offseason quarterback change. But Sharpe delivered nearly identical numbers — doing so after a memorable role on the maiden voyage of Hard Knocks — in amassing 811 receiving yards. However, the Ravens used a first-round pick on Todd Heap in 2001 and released Sharpe the following February. Sharpe made his eighth and final Pro Bowl in 2001 and broke then-Ravens executive Ozzie Newsome‘s records for most career receptions and yards by a tight end that season.
Denver brought Sharpe back in 2002, and he wrapped up a 14-year career a year later. Sharpe, who caught eight touchdown passes on a Broncos team that returned to the playoffs in 2003, also retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in TDs (62) by a tight end.