By using the low restricted free agent tender on running back C.J. Anderson, the Broncos opened themselves up to losing the 25-year-old, and just days later, the Dolphins signed Anderson to an offer sheet worth $18MM over four years. Mike Klis of 9 News was the first to report Anderson’s signing, and now he provides the details of Miami’s offer sheet.
Anderson would earn $6MM total in 2016, made up of a guaranteed $675K base salary, a $5.25MM signing bonus, and a $100K workout bonus. In 2017, he’d earn a $2.9MM base salary, $1.7MM of which would be guaranteed, and he’d have another $100K workout bonus. In both 2018 and 2019, Anderson would have base salaries of $4.5MM, neither of which would be guaranteed.
As Klis notes, the most difficult aspect of the contract from the Broncos’ perspective is the $6MM guarantee in 2016. Denver only has about $12.5MM in cap space at the moment, and they still need to find a starting quarterback after losing Brock Osweiler to the Texans. So while the rest of the offer sheet is pretty reasonable, it’s the 2016 terms that might make-or-break the decision for the Broncos.
Of course, for less than $1MM in extra expenditures, Denver could have likely protected itself against losing Anderson. The low tender is worth $1.671MM, while the second-round tender (which would have entitled the Broncos to a second-round pick had they declined to match an offer sheet) is worth $2.553MM, just $882K more. Denver clearly misread the market for Anderson, and they’d be admitting that mistake even further by matching Miami’s offer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
12.5 including the 6 they need to sign rookies?
They don’t really need $6MM to sign their draft class because every pick will replace a veteran who is already counting against the cap.
I don’t think Denver is going to start cutting veterans for rookies, maybe 1 or 2 from this class will be 16 game starters. Teams average $5-7m to sign each draft class and undrafted FA’s, under the new rookie wage scale. Most of that is signing the 1st and 2nd round players.
As a Broncos fan, it really wouldn’t bother me if they let CJ go. He has NEVER shown up to training camp in shape (even as an undrafted rookie), and has never shown the type of consistency/ability to be worth the $6 million that he’ll make next year.
It makes a lot more sense to me to invest in the OL and bring in a buy-low back like Alfred Morris or Arian Foster to be more effective behind an improved OL.
The Broncos’ strategy here was curious. Anderson showed immense promise during the second halves of each of the past two seasons (and playoffs). They created a significant need by not placing the second-round tender on Anderson. That said, the Dolphins deal not including guaranteed money in ’18 or ’19 makes it somewhat reasonable the Broncos match the offer. Still unlikely, however.