The current Buccaneer’s lawsuit indicates he has been fined more than $500K over the past year and change for taking medications that include THC. Gregory’s suit alleges discrimination. The veteran edge defender claims he was denied a therapeutic use exemption for this medication and subsequently fined $533K by the league. The Broncos were not involved with levying the fines, per Gabriel.
Although the 2020 CBA brought relaxed policies regarding recreational drugs, THC remains a banned substance. Players are no longer suspended under the positive THC tests, but fines remain in play. Gregory’s suit said he sought permission to use a drug he was prescribed for a social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders, Dronabinol, during non-work hours but was denied. Gregory, who often ran afoul of the league’s stricter drug policy during the 2010s, has been open about his anxiety disorder.
Gregory, 31, initially sought permission from the Broncos and NFL to use Dronabinol in March 2023 but was denied, Gabriel adds. Another therapeutic use exemption request ended up denied, per the suit, in May 2023. It is not known how many fines Gregory incurred; players are to be fined a half-week’s salary for positive THC tests, with the penalty increasing to three weeks’ pay later in this process. Gregory was attached to a five-year, $70MM deal with the Broncos from 2022 until the team traded him to the 49ers in October 2023.
The suit alleges the NFL and Broncos’ unwillingness to provide the former second-round pick “reasonable accommodation” is discriminatory under Colorado low, and he is seeking damages. Gregory was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2021, with Gabriel noting the post-traumatic stress diagnosis emerged in February 2023. Gregory signed with the Broncos in March 2022. The former Cowboys draftee initially filed discrimination charges against the Broncos and the NFL in July 2023.
The Nebraska product incurred four substance-abuse suspensions from 2016-19. He missed all of the 2017 and ’19 seasons due to bans, playing only two games in 2016 as well. Gregory resurfacing with a productive stretch from 2020-21 fetched him a $14MM-per-year contract, but he did not live up to the deal in Denver. Injuries sidelined him for most of 2022, which also included a chapter in which Gregory reneged on a Cowboys pact at the 11th hour due to contract language.
As he seeks a new deal, Courtland Suttonhas been absent from the Broncos’ organized team activities. That situation will change next week.
The veteran receiver said during a Thursday appearance on a DNVR Sports podcast that he will take part in the team’s upcoming mandatory minicamp. The final stage of Denver’s offseason program will run from June 11-13, and head coach Sean Payton previously stated he expected Sutton to attend. By doing so, the latter will not be subject to roughly $100K in fines.
“I will be there,” Sutton said of minicamp (via Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette). “A small tidbit. It’s been killing me not being able to be at [OTAs]. This has been a very different offseason since I’ve been a part of since I’ve been in this league. Anybody that knows me and anybody that’s played with me understands that I love this game.”
The 28-year-old has two years remaining on his contract. That includes a 2024 base salary of $13MM, $2MM of which is guaranteed. Next year’s base compensation ($13.5MM) does not contain any money locked in. Sutton is believed to be aiming for a bump in pay for the immediate term in lieu of an extension. An AAV in the $15-16MM range is his reported target, and Mike Klis of 9News confirms a raise is still being sought out.
No progress on negotiations regarding a new arrangement have been made, however, meaning Sutton could wind up playing out the 2024 season on his deal as currently constructed. The former Pro Bowler has fallen well down the pecking order at the WR position, with the 2024 offseason seeing a new wave of monster extensions (with more likely soon to follow).
The SMU alum led the Broncos in receiving last season, his fifth with at least 700 yards. Sutton has topped 1,000 only once in his career, but he was on the radar of interested teams leading up to the trade deadline and the draft. Denver does not wish to move him, nor is he seeking a new team. A key role should await Sutton in 2024 as the Broncos start the second year of the Sean Payton era with a new quarterback (likely first-round rookie Bo Nix) in place.
The Broncos have invested at the receiver spot this offseason with the free agent addition of Josh Reynoldsand the selection of Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele in the fourth and seventh rounds of the draft. Those newcomers, along with veteran Tim Patrickand 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims, will vie for playing time this summer in a receiver room which no longer includes Jerry Jeudy. Sutton will be counted on as a leader for that group, but it remains to be seen if his contract will be adjusted before the start of the campaign.
Early June no longer means a mid-offseason update to the free agent market, as teams can designate players as post-June 1 cuts months in advance of that date. But June 2 does bring an annually important date in terms of finances. This year, 11 teams will see their cap-space figures expand thanks to post-June 1 release designations. One other club — the Broncos — used a post-June 1 designation, but they will not save any money from the historic Russell Wilson release.
Teams are permitted to designate two players as post-June 1 cuts ahead of that date. This designation spreads a player’s dead money hit over two years as opposed to a 2024-only blow. Courtesy of Spotrac, here are the savings this year’s teams to make post-June 1 designations will receive:
The Broncos’ overall Wilson cap hit, even with the quarterback’s $1.21MM Steelers salary factoring into the equation, will more than double any other single-player dead money number in NFL history. The now-Sean Payton-led Broncos, after a failed effort to move Wilson’s guarantee vesting date beyond 2024, will take their medicine for bailing 18 months after authorizing a five-year, $245MM extension. Denver will absorb the lion’s share of the dead money this year, taking on $53MM. The team will not receive the cap credit from Wilson’s Steelers deal until 2025, per Spotrac.
Annually making exhaustive efforts to move under the cap, the Saints will be hit with more than $30MM in total dead cap from the Thomas and Winston contracts. Redesigning both in 2023, the Saints will take on $8.9MM in 2024 dead money on Thomas and $3.4MM on the Winston pact. Mickey Loomis‘ operation is once again at the bottom of the NFL in future cap space, being projected to come in more than $84MM over the 2025 cap.
Baltimore structured Beckham’s one-year, $15MM contract to void, and the team will take on more than $10MM in total dead money on it. The bulk of that will come in 2025; the post-June 1 cut will produce $2.8MM in 2024 dead cap this year.
The wideout’s four-year rookie contract is worth $4.875MM and includes an $854K signing bonus. Franklin was Denver’s only remaining unsigned draft pick.
After barely missing out on a 900-yard campaign in 2022, Franklin easily topped that mark in 2023. The Oregon product finished the season with 81 receptions for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns, earning him first-team All-Pac-12 honors and a second-team All-American nod.
Franklin landed in an ideal situation, as he’ll team up with his college QB Bo Nix, who was Denver’s first-round pick. While the Broncos moved on from Jerry Jeudy this offseason, the team is still rostering Courtland Sutton. The veteran will be joined by former second-round pick Marvin Mims Jr. and new addition Josh Reynolds atop the depth chart, but Franklin should have an easy path to the WR4 role ahead of Tim Patrick and rookie seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele.
The Broncos’ seven-man draft class is officially signed. The grouping includes:
When bids were coming in on the Broncos, Peyton Manning‘s name frequently came up. The Hall of Fame quarterback was mentioned by several prospective bidders as someone a buyer would include in the new ownership group, one of them being the winner of the bidding process (Rob Walton).
However, Manning is not currently involved in the team’s operations despite previously mentioning interest in a Broncos ownership role. Walton mentioned both Manning and fellow Broncos Super Bowl winner John Elway as candidates to take on a position of some kind upon the beginning of his tenure as owner. The latter remained with the organization until recently, but the former is not actively seeking out a role.
“I don’t think that’s anywhere on my radar by any means,” Manning said when asked about future ownership or other front office responsibilities (via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post). “I love being an ambassador for the Broncos and for the Colts, for the University of Tennessee. Obviously, living here I get to go to all the Broncos games. I was out at the facility the other day… I still have my key fob from when I played.
“I still feel an attachment and have really enjoyed getting to know the Walton-Penner family as well. But as far as running a team, I don’t think that’s on my radar.”
Manning’s attention is currently aimed on his post-playing media endeavors, which have proven to be rather fruitful. His Omaha Productions company has a long-term agreement in place with ESPN, and he and brother Eli will again take part in the ManningCast this season. He is thus on track to remain in Denver (where he played four seasons to close out his career) in his current situation for the foreseeable future.
Walton brought on a number of notable names to join his ownership group, including former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. Manning would of course represent another high-profile addition if he were to come aboard. That should not be expected any time soon, though.
The cap-strapped Broncos saw one of last year’s top offensive performers, center Lloyd Cushenberry, sign with the Titans in free agency, leaving Denver with a major question mark at the pivot as it ushers in yet another new era at quarterback. 2022 fifth-rounder Luke Wattenberg will certainly have a chance to become the club’s starting center, but as Ryan McFadden of the Denver Post writes, the Broncos are also high on 2023 seventh-round selection Alex Forsyth.
McFadden says that the team views Forsyth as a potential starting-caliber center, which jibes with the comments that GM George Paton made on the matter earlier this year. Forsyth’s candidacy is buttressed by the fact that he served as the snapper for quarterback Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall selection in this year’s draft, when the two were at Oregon in 2022.
Wattenberg, meanwhile, started 16 games at center while in college, but he has played sparingly in his two years in the professional ranks, with most of his reps coming at the guard positions. And though his 129 total snaps certainly qualify as a small sample size, he has not played particularly well in that limited action.
The Broncos did sign Sam Mustipher to a one-year contract in April, and he has the experience that Forsyth and Wattenberg lack, having played 52 games (42 starts) in the NFL. He served as the Bears’ full-time pivot from 2021-22, but the fact that he was non-tendered by Chicago last year and had to settle for a one-year pact with the Ravens — and the fact that he did not even crack Baltimore’s initial 53-man roster — underscores his middling performance in the Windy City. The soon-to-be 28-year-old blocker did start two games for the Ravens last season in relief of the injured Tyler Linderbaum, and he performed reasonably well as a stopgap.
As McFadden notes in a separate piece, Wattenberg was working with the first-team offense in OTAs earlier this week, while Forsyth worked with the second unit. Still, the center competition in Denver appears to be wide open, despite the fact that Forsyth did not see any action at all in his rookie campaign. Sooner rather than later, Nix will take the reins at quarterback, and there is a good chance he will have a familiar face snapping him the ball.
Representation in Super Bowls has not stretched wide in the AFC over the past decade. Since 2013, all of four franchises — the Broncos, Patriots, Chiefs and Bengals — have represented the conference in Super Bowls. The NFC in that span has produced seven Super Bowl entrants.
Since 2001, QB-driven graphics regarding Super Bowl participation primarily feature four faces — those of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes. An AFC team employing a QB outside that quartet has only reached the Super Bowl three times (2002 Raiders, 2012 Ravens, 2021 Bengals) in 24 seasons. As the NFC has rolled out 21 Super Bowl QB starters since Brady’s first appearance, it has been quite difficult for outsiders to forge a path in the AFC.
This space used to ask which team was best positioned to KO the Patriots in the AFC. The Chiefs ended up getting there, first loading up around Mahomes’ rookie contract before assembling a low-cost (but highly effective) defense to help a team suddenly limited — beyond the Mahomes-Travis Kelce connection’s enduring brilliance — following the Tyreek Hill trade. As the Chiefs aim to become the first team since the mid-1960s Packers to threepeat (part one of Green Bay’s offering occurred before the Super Bowl era), which conference challenger is best built to disrupt their path back?
The AFC North appears a good place to start. The Ravens open the season with an Arrowhead Stadium trek and held the AFC’s No. 1 seed last season. Lamar Jackson skated to MVP honors, and Mike Macdonald‘s defense led the league in scoring. But familiar issues resurfaced for the team in the AFC championship game. An oddly pass-focused Baltimore effort ground to a halt, as Jackson committed two turnovers. Macdonald has since departed — the first Ravens coordinator to leave for a head coaching job since Gary Kubiak in 2015 — and ex-Baltimore linebacker Zach Orrmoved into the DC post. The team also lost three starters up front. Although quiet in free agency (in terms of outside hires) beyond the splashy Derrick Henryaddition, the Ravens added likely cornerback starter Nate Wiggins in Round 1 and kept Justin Madubuike off the market via the franchise tag and a quick extension.
Cincinnati has shown superior mettle against Kansas City since Joe Burrow‘s arrival, beating the Chiefs thrice in 2022 before falling as both teams battled key injuries in the January 2023 AFC title game. The Bengals losing Burrow in November removed a key obstacle in the Chiefs’ path, but the NFL’s highest-paid player is back. The team also retained Tee Higgins, being the only team left to have a player on the tag, and added new tackles inTrent Brown and Amarius Mimsto join Orlando Brown Jr. The team revamped its safety corps by bringing back Vonn Bell and adding ex-RavenGeno Stone. Not many glaring issues are present in Cincinnati’s lineup, with longer-term matters — the receiver situation chief among them — the top roster storylines here.
Creeping into the playoffs despite a host of high-profile injuries on offense, the Browns showed their roster strength by shrugging off the injuries to Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb and their tackles. Cleveland acquired Jerry Jeudy via trade and then extended him, and other than adding some Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah supporting pieces at linebacker, returns the starters from a No. 1-ranked pass defense. Watson’s struggles, for the most part, since arriving via trade will continue to define where the Browns can venture.
Although the Bills parted with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, looking past Buffalo — a four-time reigning AFC East champion that defeated the Chiefs in three straight seasons in Kansas City — would probably be a mistake. The Bills made some cost-cutting moves, most notably disbanding its seven-year safety duo of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer (though Hyde remains in play to return), and saw concerning form from Von Miller following his second ACL tear. The Bills also lost Leonard Floyd in free agency. Focus will understandably be aimed at Buffalo’s WR crew, which now housesCurtis Samuel, second-rounder Keon Colemanand ex-Chief Marquez Valdes-Scantling(who certainly places a premium on QB talent). The Chiefs’ issues staffing their wideout spots last year provided a lingering problem; will the Bills make a higher-profile addition down the line?
With their backs to the wall, the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh regime will count on Aaron Rodgers belatedly delivering. The duo may or may not have attempted to strip power from OC Nathaniel Hackett, who is coming off a brutal two-year stretch. The Jets effectively replaced Bryce Huff with a more proven rusher inHaason Reddick and added Mike Williamsas a supporting-caster on offense. The team will hope its pair of 33-year-old tackles — Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses — holds up, while Olu Fashanu looms as a long term tackle piece and potential short-term guard. Can the Jets do enough offensively to capitalize on their defensive nucleus of the past two seasons?
The Texans sit as a fascinating piece of this puzzle, given their outlook going into the first three seasons of Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure. After low-key offseasons from 2021-23, Houston added Diggs and a few notable defenders to the DeMeco Ryans-led roster. Danielle Hunter and Denico Autry join ex-Ryans 49ers pupil Azeez Al-Shaairas key defensive additions. Although Diggs struggled down the stretch in his final Bills season, he certainly played a lead role in elevating Josh Allen‘s stature. The Texans, who have C.J. Stroud on a rookie deal through at least 2025, will hope the Pro Bowler pairs well with Nico Collins and the returning Tank Dell.
Miami and Jacksonville’s roster equations figure to change soon, as respective extension talks withTua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrenceare ongoing. The Dolphins have faded badly under Mike McDaniel and did not seriously threaten the Chiefs in a frigid wild-card game, though they have obviously shown elite offensive capabilities in the right environment. Handing the play-calling reins to OC Press Taylor in 2023, the Jaguars did not build on a strong 2022 finish. The Steelers also present one of the highest floors in NFL history, and they have upgraded at quarterback by adding two options — in Justin Fields and likely starterRussell Wilson. But they also have not won a playoff game since the six-field goal offering against the Chiefs — a game that represented the final shove for Kansas City to trade up for Mahoemes — seven years ago.
The Texans emerged from the NFL’s basement last season. Is there a stealth contender lurking? The Chiefs’ division does not look particularly imposing, once again, though Jim Harbaugh now overseeing Justin Herbert is certainly an interesting development. The national championship-winning HC has authored turnarounds everywhere he has gone.
No team has qualified for five Super Bowls in a six-year period, and none of the Super Bowl era’s threepeat efforts have reached the final stage; the 1990 49ers came closest, losing on a last-second field goal in the NFC title game. Who is poised to be the best Chiefs deterrent on their path to a threepeat? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your AFC thoughts in the comments section.
Two of this decade’s most injury-prone players, Tim Patrick and Greg Dulcich are attempting to shake off two seasons sidetracked by maladies. In Patrick’s case, injuries kept him off the field throughout the Broncos’ Russell Wilson era.
Patrick suffered season-nullifying injuries during the Broncos’ past two training camps, going down with a torn ACL in 2022 and an Achilles tear last summer. Patrick was expected to be a key possession receiver for Wilson, but with the team bailing — at a historic cost — on the QB’s extension it authorized in 2022, the 6-foot-4 target now looms as a wild card of sorts for a regrouping Denver squad.
The Broncos’ OTA workouts featured Patrick running routes, as The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider observes. The former UDFA is once again on track to be part of the Broncos’ receiving corps, but the past two years have certainly sidetracked the ex-Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater target’s career. Denver extended Patrick on a three-year, $30MM deal during the 2021 season. Despite Patrick being unable to play a down on that contract, the now-Sean Payton-fronted franchise retained him — but on a substantial pay cut. The 30-year-old wideout is now tied to a $1.63MM deal that contains no guarantees.
A surehanded target during the seasons before the Wilson trade, Patrick posted 742- and 734-yard showings in 2020 and ’21 and totaled 11 touchdowns. As injuries kept the likes of Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and former second-rounder KJ Hamler off the field for extended stretches, Patrick provided a key insurance piece. The 2021 contract signified the team viewed him as a starter. With the Broncos adding Marvin Mims, Josh Reynolds and Troy Franklin over the past two offseasons, Patrick’s place is now uncertain. Though, the 2017 free agency addition could provide good value if he returns to form.
Dulcich’s injury pattern — and the Broncos’ limited tight end corps — may make his participation worth monitoring. Chronic hamstring trouble forced the 2022 third-round pick into an alarming four IR trips in two seasons. Dulcich last played in Week 6 of the 2023 season, reinjuring his hamstring shortly after being activated from IR. The Broncos designated the UCLA alum for return down the stretch last year but did not activate him; they are now bringing him along slowly.
The Broncos’ first OTA sessions featured Dulcich working on a side field. Denver’s top receiving tight end continues to see specialists about his hamstring trouble, and while Payton confirmed full participation is likely at some point this offseason, the team is not unleashing him for full-speed work still.
“He’s close. Man, he’s had all the work done; we’re encouraged,” Payton said, via the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel. “I think you’ll see him sooner than later and we want to be smart. His rehab has gone well and it’s not going to be that we don’t see him until training camp.”
Dulcich played only 32 offensive snaps last season, suffering injuries in both contests he played. A woeful 2022 season for the Broncos’ offense did double as a somewhat promising slate for Dulcich, who totaled 411 receiving yards in 10 games. Of course, he also needed two IR trips due to hamstring issues as a rookie. It is safe to say Dulcich’s availability this season will determine if he has a viable path to TE1 work in the NFL.
It is interesting the Broncos, as Bo Nix arrives, have not added a more reliable piece at the position. The inaction represents good news for Dulcich, who looks to have a clear route back to regular work if he can stay healthy.
This offseason has brought changes to the wide receiver market, but a host of wideouts chosen early in the 2020 draft have taken center stage. Most NFL teams have authorized a big-ticket (by today’s standards) deal for a wide receiver. Ranked by guaranteed money and excluding rookie contracts and accords acquired via trade, here is the most lucrative WR deal in each franchise’s history.
Larry Fitzgerald‘s seven-year, $113MM extension (August 2011) holds the Cardinals standard for total value, but Hopkins’ pact checks in higher in terms of guarantees and AAV.
In total, Michael Crabtree‘s 2018 deal (worth $21MM) and Derrick Mason‘s 2005 agreement ($20MM) surpass Beckham’s. But the 2023 Baltimore rental’s guarantee came in higher.
The Browns have featured three higher-paid receivers on their roster since Landry’s contract, but both Odell Beckham Jr. and Amari Cooper arrived via trade and played on contracts designed by other teams. Jerry Jeudy‘s AAV ($17.5MM) on his 2024 extension also outpaces Landry’s, though the recent trade pickup’s total guarantee falls short here.
JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s 2023 deal trails Agholor’s in AAV but carried the same full guarantee. Danny Amendola‘s full payout ($28.5MM) in 2013 tops both deals.
Allen Lazard‘s 2023 deal and Santonio Holmes‘ contract back in 2011 brought more in total value ($44MM and $45MM, respectively) but did not match Davis’ for guarantees.
Mike Evans; March 9, 2018: Five years, $82.5MM ($55MM guaranteed; $38.26MM guaranteed at signing)
Chris Godwin‘s 2022 deal beats Evans’ for at-signing guarantees ($40MM), while the all-time Bucs receiving leader’s 2024 agreement leads the way in AAV ($20.5MM).
Sutton has been away from the Broncos during the pre-OTAs portion of their voluntary workout schedule, training in Florida. That appears to still be the case as OTAs get underway, per the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel. Sutton has expressed a desire for a contract upgrade, and the seventh-year veteran may be amenable to a straight raise.
Re-emerging as Denver’s No. 1 wide receiver last season, Sutton remains tied to his four-year, $60MM deal. No wideout has been tied to a higher AAV in Broncos history, but Sutton’s contract qualifies as team-friendly now. Agreed to during the 2021 season, Sutton’s deal was finalized before a receiver market boom the following offseason. His AAV now checks in at No. 23, counting Higgins’ franchise tag, at the position.
That contract calls for a $13MM base salary in 2024; just $2MM of that total is guaranteed. Sutton is angling for a new deal — one the Broncos are unlikely to hand out due to two seasons remaining on his current pact — but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler said during a recent SportsCenter appearance (via Heavy.com) Sutton would like to bump his salary up into the $15-$16MM range. No progress is coming out of these talks, Fowler adds.
Players regularly seek extensions when their contracts fall out of step with the market or when existing deals have already paid out guarantees. Sutton probably falls into both camps, but it would be interesting if a raise on his 2024 salary would bring about a resolution. The Broncos took a similar step with Chris Harris back in 2019, after the team had given Kareem Jackson a deal with a higher per-year salary. Denver gave its decorated cornerback a straight raise, bumping his 2019 pay from $8.9MM to $12.05MM.
Some clear differences between that situation and Sutton’s exist, however. En route to All-Decade honors, Harris had been the NFL’s top slot corner for several years ahead of those negotiations. The Broncos also authorized a pure raise for a player in a contract year. That agreement also came during John Elway‘s GM tenure. Sutton, an Elway-era draftee who signed his extension in GM George Paton‘s first season, has two years remaining on his deal and has not approached the heights Harris reached during his Broncos tenure. A decision-maker not around for either his draft arrival or extension, Sean Payton, now carries the most weight in the organization.
A raise would set a precedent under Payton, and teams generally prefer extensions to notable pay bumps. While Sutton has four 700-plus-yard seasons on his resume, 2019 represents his only 1,000-yard season. The Broncos are not expected to trade the 6-foot-4 wideout, who is recovering from offseason ankle surgery. Teams called the Broncos ahead of the draft. The former second-round pick does carry some leverage; the team stands to need him as a reliable target to break in Bo Nix.
Sutton, 28, profiles as Denver’s best bet for steady receiving production this season, though the team has added a few pieces under Payton — from Josh Reynolds to draft choices Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin. While Sutton sits as the highest-floor player in the Broncos’ pass-catching corps, the two recent draftees’ development will play a role in the veteran’s Denver future. A trade-rumor mainstay, Sutton is tied to a $13.5MM nonguaranteed 2025 salary.
Although the 2020 CBA brought relaxed policies regarding recreational drugs, THC remains a banned substance. Players are no longer suspended under the positive THC tests, but fines remain in play. Gregory’s suit said he sought permission to use a drug he was prescribed for a social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders, Dronabinol, during non-work hours but was denied. Gregory, who often ran afoul of the league’s stricter drug policy during the 2010s, has been open about his anxiety disorder.
