Sean Payton dislikes quite a few things. Among them: the term “take the next step,” which he made clear on Tuesday. “We go back to the start of the race,” Payton said at his end-of-season press conference. “Every 32 teams have to go back and go meet their parents, eat their oranges and get ready to start again.” Thus, the club begins anew after the most successful year of the Payton-George Paton-Greg Penner triumvirate in Denver, a 14-3 season in 2025 that ended a few points and a Bo Nix busted ankle away from a berth in the Super Bowl. They’re a long way from a complete regroup, though: Russell Wilson’s $32 million cap hit is off the books, Nix only has a $5 million cap hit in 2026 and Denver has plenty of Walmart money to toss around. “I’d say we’ll be opportunistically aggressive,” Penner said Wednesday. Before free agency hits in March and the NFL Draft rolls around in April, the organization has plenty of in-house decisions to make with expiring contracts and coaching moves. Here’s The Denver Post’s complete guide to a key offseason for these Broncos. Who are the Broncos’ unrestricted free agents? The Broncos have 11 players whose contracts have expired and are set to hit free agency. Here’s a rundown with age, stats, and intel on their chances of landing back in Denver or elsewhere. DL John Franklin-Myers (29) 2025 stats: 16 games, 7.5 sacks, 15 QB hits, 25 tackles Outlook: Denver has yet to approach Franklin-Myers on an extension, and doesn’t seem likely to start now. Franklin-Myers has anticipated since August that he’ll hit free agency and should be a top defensive-line option on the market. According to a source, Franklin-Myers’ camp is looking at the Miami Dolphins’ 2025 extension for Zach Sieler — three years, $64 million for a highly-productive 29-year-old defensive tackle — as a salary floor. The Broncos have already committed big money to their defensive line. Franklin-Myers is all but gone. Alex Singleton (49) of the Denver Broncos celebrates a tackle during the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots’ 10-7 AFC Championship Game win at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) LB Alex Singleton (32) 2025 stats: 16 games, 135 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss Related Articles Broncos secondary coach Jim Leonhard leaving for Buffalo DC job, source says Broncos interview Commanders passing-game coordinator Brian Johnson for OC job, source confirms Bills hiring Broncos offensive assistant Pete Carmichael as OC, source says Broncos’ QBs coach Davis Webb withdraws from Raiders’ coaching search, source confirms Broncos interview Buffalo QB coach Ronald Curry for offensive coordinator job, sources say Outlook: The NFL can be a cruel world. Singleton earned the Broncos’ 2025 Ed Block Courage Award — the team’s easiest decision of the season — after returning from a torn ACL in 2024 and then returning midseason from testicular cancer surgery. The veteran linebacker had arguably the best year of his career in 2025 and is still a downhill force in the run game and the play-caller of Denver’s defense. The Broncos, though, have yet to pay Singleton and could elect to bring in younger talent this offseason. This could depend if Vance Joseph is back as the defensive coordinator in 2026. TE Adam Trautman (28) 2025 stats: 17 games, 20 catches, 195 yards, one TD Outlook: One of Payton’s favorites here. Trautman has pretty much put up the same stats for six years since beginning his career with Payton in New Orleans in 2020. He wants to be back in Denver and fills a key and trusted role in Payton’s system as a blocker. P.J. Locke (6) of the Denver Broncos tackles Rhamondre Stevenson (38) of the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) S P.J. Locke (28) 2025 stats: 16 games, 16 tackles, 3 passes defended Outlook: After serving as a backup most of the year, veteran Locke stepped back into a starting role and was invaluable once safety Brandon Jones went down in December. Across five starts at safety across the regular season and playoffs, he allowed just five catches in 17 targets as the nearest defender in coverage, according to Next Gen Stats. There’s no easy path to a starting job with Talanoa Hufanga and Jones returning, and Locke’s likely to hit the open market. LB Justin Strnad (29) 2025 stats: 16 games, 58 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight QB hits Outlook: Strnad established himself as possibly the best linebacker on the Broncos’ roster in filling in for both Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton across the 2025 season. After two years in spot-starter duty, he’s now fully committed to looking for a starting job somewhere, as he told The Post this week. Will that be in Denver, though? The Broncos will have to clear a path for him to keep him. J.K. Dobbins (27) of the Denver Broncos stiff arms Alijah Clark (38) of the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) RB J.K. Dobbins (27) 2025 stats: 10 games, 772 rushing yards, 5.0 yards per carry, four total touchdowns Outlook: The Broncos’ most important skill piece of 2025 nearly made it back in three months from a Lisfranc injury in November. The issue: the running back has played just 47 of a possible 101 regular-season games in his six-year career. Dobbins was an invaluable piece of the team’s locker room, and the Broncos could look to bring him back as a veteran presence despite injury concerns. He went into last year’s offseason trying to bide his time until a team needed him in training camp, and he seems poised for the same position this offseason. FB Michael Burton (33) 2025 stats: N/A (hamstring injury) Outlook: Payton’s trusty fullback signed back in 2025 but didn’t play a single game with a hamstring injury. Payton loyalists always have a place, but there’s no real reason for Denver to bring back Burton. TE Marcedes Lewis (41) 2025 stats: 5 games, no catches, no yards Outlook: The Big Dog first has to decide if he’ll even continue playing in 2026. The Broncos brought in Lewis for his blocking and locker-room presence in 2025, but Lewis won’t be any kind of priority this offseason. Denver Broncos WR Lil’ Jordan Humphrey (17) gains yardage against the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post) WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey (27) 2025 stats: 7 games, 9 catches, 101 yards, one touchdown Outlook: Humphrey signed back with Denver off the Giants’ practice squad midseason, and became an important receiver as Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin got banged up down the stretch. Payton loves Humphrey’s abilities as a blocker. His status will depend on whether another team shows enough interest to pull Humphrey away. C Sam Mustipher (29) 2025 stats: 1 game Outlook: The Broncos brought in Mustipher late in the year after starter Luke Wattenberg went down, and Mustipher played some important late-season snaps. Again, not an immediate priority. QB Sam Ehlinger (27) 2025 stats: N/A Outlook: Ehlinger became an important piece of a tight-knit Broncos QB room in 2025, and predictably never saw action behind Nix and Jarrett Stidham. He’ll likely try to follow quarterbacks coach Davis Webb wherever he goes. Who are the Broncos’ restricted free agents? CB Ja’Quan McMillian (25), OL Alex Palczewski (26), RB Jaleel McLaughlin (25), TE Nate Adkins (26), TE Lucas Krull (27), DL Matt Henningsen (26)  The Broncos have an interesting group of restricted free agents. Remember, with restricted free agents, the team has three tender options — original draft round, second or first — that come with set salaries and give the team the right of first refusal to match any deal another team offers. If Denver doesn’t match, then the signing team must give the draft pick that aligns with the tender. A first-round tender is a rarely used tool — more on that with McMillian below — though Payton’s Saints did use one with Taysom Hill in 2020 before signing him to a two-year extension in April of that year. Of Denver’s restricted free agents group, only Henningsen (2022 sixth round) was actually drafted, so the original-round tender is mostly out of the equation, too. Every player in the group has had a role at some point in his career in Denver. So, interesting choices ahead and certainly some extension candidates in the group ranging from modest to blockbuster.   Who are the Broncos’ exclusive-rights free agents? Devon Key (26) of the Denver Broncos whiffs as Anthony Gould (6) of the Indianapolis Colts breaks off a big punt return during the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) S Devon Key (27), OLB Dondrea Tillman (27), DL Jordan Jackson (27), RB Tyler Badie (25) The exclusive rights group should be pretty straightforward. The team has the right to tender these players a one-year, league-minimum contract, which keeps them from negotiating with any other team. Key is a first-team All-Pro special teamer, Tillman is a regular in the OLB rotation, Badie was Denver’s third-down back and Jackson didn’t play a ton but only because of Denver’s terrific defensive line depth. They are all easy tender decisions. That doesn’t guarantee Badie will make the 2026 roster, but an initial tender makes sense. Who are in-house candidates for contract extensions and restructures or potential cap casualties? CB Ja’Quan McMillian McMillian is a restricted free agent, so the Broncos could plop a prime tender on him — he’d be a guarantee for either the first or second-round tender and a bargain at either salary number, both of which will be below $8 million — but say the Broncos put a second-round tender on him. Another team might be willing to give up that pick to sign McMillian long-term. In that case, that other team is doing the Broncos’ negotiating for them and they’d have to match to keep McMillian. Or, the sides could work out a long-term extension. McMillian, an undrafted free agent in 2022, has played his way to being among the best slot men in the game. General manager George Paton wouldn’t say what Denver’s exact plan with McMillian is this offseason, but on Tuesday raved about his growth. Really, the only complicating factor with McMillian has nothing to do with him. Denver drafted Jahdae Barron in the first round in April and also has depth outside behind Pat Surtain II in Riley Moss and Kris Abrams-Draine. Moss is entering the final year of his rookie contract this fall, while Abrams-Draine has two years left on his. One thing is certain: Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph considers McMillian an indispensable part of Denver’s defensive success over the past two years. Veteran OL pair Mike McGlinchey (69) of the Denver Broncos heads to the locker room after warming up before the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) Right tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Ben Powers were among the first free agents signed after Payton was hired in 2023. Both are still playing at a high level. They also currently account for the highest and third-highest 2026 cap numbers on the roster, respectively, and neither has guaranteed money left on his deal. That makes them prime candidates to have their contracts touched in some way, whether it be an extension, reworking or cut. The Broncos have restructured both deals in the past, ahead of the 2024 season, when they swallowed $53 million of Russell Wilson’s dead money, and weren’t bit by it because both have remained high-quality players. McGlinchey played maybe the best football of his career. Powers missed two months with a torn bicep but returned down the stretch. What’s interesting is that Alex Palczewski could factor in with either. He was McGlinchey’s backup, but then jumped into the lineup when Powers got hurt and played well. McGlinchey carries a $23.78 million cap number for 2026 and Powers is at $18.16 million. Powers is a more likely cut candidate than McGlinchey in part because he’d save $8.38 million against the cap and incur $9.78 million in dead cap, a more balanced proposition than McGlinchey ($8.45 million saved, $15.33 million dead). Both, though, have been considered key pieces to one of Denver’s best units. Either could be a candidate for a short extension or perhaps a deal where some guarantees are installed in exchange for cap flexibility. S Brandon Jones The safety has been a steal since arriving on a three-year, $20 million deal ahead of the 2024 season. His 2025 was cut short by a pectoral injury that required surgery and now he heads into the final year of his contract with a $9.2 million cap hit and no guaranteed money. Jones will be 28 when training camp starts and should have a lot of good football in front of him. An extension makes sense this offseason if the Broncos think they can fit it into their longer-range planning. Expiring rookie contracts A couple of key ones here in Moss ($3.85 million cap hit) and wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. ($6.01 million). They’re each relatively modest cap numbers and Denver may well let both play out the 2026 season — or revisit on the bye week next year, as the club just did with Wattenberg in November. Still, they’re interesting players generally speaking and also contractually. Underwhelming free agent signings It would be going too far to call either tight end Evan Engram or inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw a bust, but neither veteran 2025 free agent signing had a big year in his first with the Broncos. Engram had 40 catches and played just 42% of snaps. He’d never been under 67% play time in eight previous NFL seasons. Greenlaw dealt with multiple injuries from April through December, collected 43 tackles in eight games and acknowledged after the season that the transition to Denver from San Francisco was “tough.” Each could well be back next year. Cutting Greenlaw would save $6.02 million on the cap and incur $4.33 million dead. Engram is a steeper consideration. The Broncos could save $3.8 million but would incur $10.33 million dead. If they cut him and applied a post-June 1 designation, they could spread the hit out over two years, save $6.47 million on the 2026 cap and take $7.67 million of the dead cap hit in 2026. How does the Broncos’ draft outlook shape up? Denver could’ve certainly used Devaughn Vele in the AFC title game. But as they head into April, their preseason trade of Vele to New Orleans looks quite pretty. The Broncos picked up a key extra fourth-round pick in that trade, and now have significant capital for draft season. Here’s a current rundown of their expected picks: 1st round, pick No. 30 2nd round, pick No. 62 3rd round, pick No. 94 4th round, pick No. 108 (from Saints) 4th round, pick No. 130 5th round, pick No. 168 7th round, pick No. 246 The Broncos could also gain a couple more late-round comp picks for losing RB Javonte Williams and punter Riley Dixon in last year’s free agency. “We have five picks in the first four rounds, and we could get two compensatory, which would give us nine,” general manager George Paton said Tuesday. “I always talk about flexibility. We’re going to have all sorts of flexibility.” Where will they apply that flexibility? There’s a world of draft season left to unfold, but one thing is clear: this is a receiver-heavy draft class. NFL’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked 11 wideouts in his initial top-50 big board this week, and the Broncos clearly need some pass-catching help. They could also look to bolster the interior defensive line (with Franklin-Myers’ expected departure), the offensive line (with some expensive veterans in Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers) and the linebacker room. What are the Broncos’ staff needs, and expected changes? Sean Payton appears to have a changing of the guard brewing in his offensive meeting room. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi: Fired. Senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael: Off to Buffalo to be offensive coordinator there. Those two  moves alone will make for a seismic shift around Payton. The veteran head coach also lost secondary coach Jim Leonhard to Buffalo, where he’s being hired as the defensive coordinator, and fired wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch after the season ended. Let’s take the offensive room first. Quarterbacks coach Davis Webb of the Denver Broncos speaks to Bo Nix (10) during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) There are any number of combinations to how the staff could shake out but it starts with quarterbacks coach Davis Webb. He withdrew from consideration for Las Vegas’ coaching job on Thursday, increasing the chances Payton can promote him to offensive coordinator and keep him. Denver also interviewed Buffalo quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry and Washington passing game coordinator Brian Johnson for the offensive coordinator job and it’s at least possible the Broncos could try to hire Curry as a quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator if Webb gets the OC job. It’s also probably worth pointing out that Payton brought former passing game coordinator John Morton back to consult for Denver’s playoff run after he was fired as Detroit’s offensive coordinator. Payton, regardless of how those top spots in the offensive meeting room shake out, will have different and likely younger voices around him. On the defensive side, the Broncos appear poised to get coordinator Vance Joseph back. There surprisingly has been no landing spot for him among the 10 head coaching vacancies and the final two still open look ticketed elsewhere. Denver, though, is losing Leonhard to the Bills. The Broncos should attract strong candidates to coach one of the best secondaries in football in replacement of Leonhard and Lynch, but it is once again an offseason full of change for Payton on the coaching staff front. Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis. ...read more read less