6:23pm: The Broncos have announced the deal, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
5:18pm: Hillman’s one-year deal is worth $2MM, with roughly $600K guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
4:12pm: After letting them become free agents last month, the Broncos have now re-signed each of their top two running backs from their Super Bowl team. According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS (via Twitter), the Broncos have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent back Ronnie Hillman.
[RELATED: Broncos sign Shiloh Keo, Brandian Ross]
Hillman, 24, will return to Denver to pair with his old backfield mate C.J. Anderson, who signed a four-year offer sheet with the Dolphins that was ultimately matched by the Broncos. While Anderson may be first in line for carries going forward, given the length and worth of his contract, Hillman was the Broncos’ leading rusher in 2015, totaling 863 yards and seven touchdowns on 207 regular-season carries.
While Hillman had a solid regular season for the Broncos, his free agent stock may have been negatively impacted by his postseason performance. With Anderson carrying the majority of the load, racking up 234 yards and two TDs on 54 carries, Hillman had just 54 yards on 32 playoff carries (1.7 yards per attempt), and failed to reach the end zone.
The Packers were reportedly “poking around” on Hillman (and other running backs) near the end of March, and he was believed to have a few other potential suitors as well, but he’ll return to Denver for at least one more season.
The Broncos have also officially brought back kicker Brandon McManus, who signed his ERFA tender, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Thank you Mam, may I have another!