RB Javonte Williams Wants To Re-Sign With Broncos

Javonte Williams’ performance as a rookie seemed to put him on track to operate as the lead running back for the Broncos over the long term. His timeshare with Melvin Gordon appeared to be a temporary arrangement, but the team’s backfield plans were altered once Williams suffered ACL and LCL tears in 2022.

The former second-rounder was limited to four games in Year 2 as a result of the injury, and questions were raised about his ability to return to his previous form. Expectations remained relatively high based on Williams’ rookie campaign (1,219 scrimmage yards, seven total touchdowns), but in 2023 he did not stand out as hoped. While playing on a Broncos offense which generally lacked efficiency, Williams averaged only 3.6 yards per carry (although he did surpass 1,000 total yards in the process).

Entering the current campaign, the matter of how head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos would approach the backfield setup was a key storyline. Williams found himself in an open competition with the likes of returnees Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin along with fifth-round rookie Audric Estime and UDFA Blake Watson. In the end, Perine did not survive roster cuts, a development which helped Williams occupy a significant role on Denver’s RB depth chart at times in 2024.

The 24-year-old logged a full 17-game campaign, handling double-digit carries on six occasions. Both McLaughlin and Estime have emerged as regulars in the backfield, though, leaving Williams with his smallest workload to date in a healthy season. Given his status as a pending free agent, his future has remained uncertain over the course of the year.

Williams’ name came up in advance of the trade deadline, but the playoff-bound Broncos elected to keep him in the fold. As Denver’s wild-card matchup approaches, it remains to be seen if Sunday will mark his final game with the team. If Williams has his way, though, he will continue playing in the Mile High City in 2025 and beyond.

“I’d love to be in Denver (next season)” the North Carolina product said (via Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette). I love the coaches. I love the city, my teammates. I love everything about it but I understand it’s a business and however it shakes out I just got to do what I got to do.”

With a yards per attempt average of 3.7, Williams’ 2024 efficiency has left plenty to be desired. That could steer the Broncos toward letting him depart, especially with Estime under team control for three more years and McLaughlin on the books for next season as well. Denver is currently projected to be mid-pack in cap space for the offseason, one in which comparatively few starters (a group led by linebacker Cody Barton) are in need of a new contract. Whenever their season ends, it will be interesting to see if the Broncos match Williams’ desire to work out a new contract.