Although Denver declined left tackle Russell Okung‘s expensive contract option last week, his time with the club isn’t necessarily up. Broncos general manager John Elway said Wednesday he’ll consider re-signing Okung, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
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If the Broncos do attempt to bring back Okung, they’ll have no shortage of competition in a year featuring a weak class of free agent tackles. Along with the previously reported Giants, Jets, Chargers and Vikings, the Rams and Seahawks could also court Okung, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Seattle is perhaps the most intriguing fit of the bunch, given that Okung has spent the vast majority of his career there. The Seahawks selected Okung sixth overall in the 2010 draft, and he went on to start in all 72 of his appearances with the team before joining the Broncos last year in free agency. Injuries were often an issue in Seattle for Okung, but he’s now coming off his first 16-game season, one in which he also totaled 16 starts. All told, Okung rated as an average tackle in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, which placed him 38th among 78 qualifiers.
Now back on the market, the 29-year-old Okung will attempt to land a better deal than the one he secured last offseason, when he made the oft-criticized decision to act as his own agent. It’s unclear if Okung will take that route again this year.