HEADLINES

Ryan Clady

Broncos Sign Russell Okung

March 17th, 2016 at 4:24pm CST by Zachary Links

4:24pm: The Broncos have officially announced the signing.

4:17pm: Okung’s deal with Denver is essentially two contracts in one, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. For 2016, he’ll get $5MM guaranteed in 2016 with a chance to make up to $8MM in incentives. Then, after that (link), Denver has a window after the season in which they can pick up an option for a four-year deal worth $12MM per year with $20.5MM guaranteed.

Overall, the deal can be worth up to $10.6MM per year if he can stay healthy, La Canfora tweets. He adds that Okung also had a one-year offer on the table from the Lions.

The Seahawks did not have an offer out to Okung at the end of his negotiations, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.

3:13pm: Teams are interested in a deal for Clady, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets.

3:03pm: The Broncos have reached agreement on a deal with Russell Okung, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The two sides are finalizing a five-year pact that will pay the standout tackle $10.6MM per year. The deal could pay up to $12MM/year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Recently, it was reported that Okung had offers in hand from the Steelers, Lions, and Giants. When the Steelers agreed to sign Ryan Harris, that trimmed down the veteran’s market somewhat. However, that signing left the Broncos with a little extra cash and a desire to reinforce their offensive line, leading them to the Okung deal today.

As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes, the signing of Okung could allow the Broncos to trade fellow tackle Ryan Clady. The team has been attempting to negotiate a pay cut with Clady, who missed the entire 2015 campaign due to injury. Now, Denver can conceivably roll with Okung and rid themselves of Clady’s deal, while taking back something in the way of compensation.

The 28-year-old had two interesting wrinkles to his free agency situation. One is that Okung underwent surgery on his injured shoulder in January. The tackle was also representing himself, which is rather rare in the NFL. Okung’s decision to act as his own agent hampered him in at least one regard as he was barred from talking to every team except for the Seahawks during the legal tampering period. At the end of the day, however, he has scored himself a sizable deal.

The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Okung as the No. 31 tackle in the NFL last year with an overall grade of 72.1.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos To Host Russell Okung For Visit

March 16th, 2016 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

A new team has entered the Russell Okung sweepstakes, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, who tweets that the free agent left tackle is traveling today to visit the Broncos. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports first reported (via Twitter) that Okung was expected to head to Denver to meet with the Super Bowl champs.Russell Okung

Okung, the highest-ranked player still available from our list of this year’s top free agents, has also received interest from the Giants and Lions, and is still mulling a return to the Seahawks. The former first-round pick had drawn interest from the Steelers as well, but Pittsburgh removed itself from the running for Okung by agreeing to sign free agent tackle Ryan Harris.

Of course, Harris was Denver’s left tackle a year ago, which is one reason the Broncos are potentially in the market for help at the position. The team has been attempting to negotiate a pay cut with veteran tackle Ryan Clady, who missed the entire 2015 campaign due to injury. Okung’s visit could provide the Broncos with additional leverage in talks with Clady, and may give the club a Plan B if a deal can’t be reached with Clady.

Okung has two interesting wrinkles to his free agency situation. The 28-year-old underwent surgery on his injured shoulder in January, and is also representing himself, which is rather rare in the NFL. Okung’s decision to act as his own agent meant that he was barred from talking to every team except for the Seahawks during the legal tampering period, which is likely one reason why he has been on the market longer than anticipated.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

DeMarcus Ware, Broncos Agree To Pay Cut

March 12th, 2016 at 2:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

2:47pm: No extra years were added to Ware’s deal, per Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). He will make $4MM in base salary, with a $500K roster bonus in addition to the potential incentives mentioned below.

2:41pm: Ware’s wages in 2016 will be reduced from $10MM to $6.5MM, Mike Florio of PFT reports. $4MM of that figure is fully guaranteed. The 33-year-old linebacker can earn back all of the salary he reduced via sack-based incentives, Florio notes, with a formula that starts at eight sacks and ends at 13. Ware’s representatives believed on this market the veteran linebacker, who turns 34 in July, would have earned upwards of $10MM AAV. But Ware didn’t want to change teams again.

However, the Broncos wanted to reduce Ware’s contract because he’s in line to have less of an every-down role and more of a passing-situation presence, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The Broncos have Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray as able backups who could see more time as a result.

1:39pm: DeMarcus Ware and the Broncos have agreed to a reduced contract for 2016, keeping the Pro Bowl linebacker in Denver, according to ESPN (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

The 12-year veteran potentially faced a situation where he’d be cut of he didn’t agree to restructure his contract, which called for the 33-year-old edge stalwart to make more than $11.66MM in the final year of his three-year, $30MM contract with the Broncos.

Ware was due a $3MM roster bonus on Sunday, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) and the Broncos identified the All-Pro blind-side rusher as a priority during an offseason where the Super Bowl champions’ roster has been gutted by free agent defections and cap-related cuts.

The Broncos lost Brock Osweiler, Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan on Day 1 of free agency and cut Louis Vasquez and Owen Daniels to create cap space Wednesday. C.J. Anderson could be the latest defection, with the Dolphins signing the running back to a four-year, $18MM offer sheet after the Broncos opted to apply the low-end tender to Anderson and open the door for teams’ interest.

A four-time first-team All-Pro, Ware registered 12 quarterback hits in the Broncos’ three postseason contests. Super Bowl MVP Von Miller totaled six during this span. Ware collected 7.5 sacks in 11 games last season despite missing a career-most five contests due to a back injury.

The Broncos have discussed a restructure of Ryan Clady‘s contract with the two-time All-Pro left tackle twice, per Renck (via Twitter), but nothing’s been resolved along that front.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Broncos

March 4th, 2016 at 8:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Broncos have made an offer likely worth upward of $12.27MM per season to pending free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. There’s no word on the length of the proposed contract, but the annual value would place Osweiler slightly above Nick Foles‘ $12.25MM per year. Foles, who signed a two-year, $24.5MM extension with the Rams last summer, is just 21st among quarterbacks in average salary.

Denver has until Monday to negotiate exclusively with Osweiler. If no deal is reached by then, the 25-year-old will be able to pursue offers from other teams as part of the NFL’s legal tampering period. Osweiler could then Brock Osweiler (vertical)sign a contract with another club when free agency opens Wednesday.

The Broncos understandably have balked at paying a high price for Osweiler, who hasn’t garnered much playing time since they took him in the second round of the 2012 draft. The 6-foot-8, 240-pounder appeared in a career-high eight games and made his first seven starts last season, but he wasn’t particularly impressive. Osweiler’s numbers – 61 percent completion rate, 7.15 yards per attempt, 10 TDs, six picks – were unremarkable, and he didn’t take the field during the playoffs after a knee injury knocked him out of action in Week 17. Peyton Manning, whose foot injury originally opened the door for Osweiler in November, took the reins back and served as a game manager in all three of the Broncos’ postseason wins, including their 24-10 Super Bowl triumph over Carolina.

As for Manning, he remains undecided about his future. The soon-to-be 40-year-old is a lock to end up in another uniform if he elects to keep playing, as the Broncos have moved on from him, per Renck. The Broncos will make that official when they release the future Hall of Famer sometime before Tuesday. When that happens, the club will free up $19MM of spending space. In addition, the Broncos are considering restructuring the expensive deals of linebacker DeMarcus Ware, offensive tackle Ryan Clady and guard Louis Vasquez, Renck writes. As of now, that trio is set to occupy nearly $29MM in cap next season.

If the Broncos cut Manning and adjust the contracts of Ware, Clady and Vasquez, they’ll give themselves a better chance to keep priority free agents like Osweiler and stellar defensive lineman Malik Jackson. Renck reported Monday that Jackson and the Broncos were roughly $3MM per year apart on contract talks.

Guard Evan Mathis, who’s also unsigned, is contemplating retirement, according to Renck. The Broncos signed the two-time Pro Bowler last summer after the Eagles released him, and he ultimately started in 12 of 16 regular-season appearances. Mathis, 34, earned rave reviews for his performance from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which ranked him third out of 81 qualifying guards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Miller, Ware, Chargers, Steelers

February 27th, 2016 at 4:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from around the AFC.

  • The Broncos are heading toward placing the franchise tag on Von Miller, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). Although the sides began exchanging proposals at the Combine, the Broncos only have until Tuesday to determine if Miller will receive the tag he’d been expecting essentially since Denver re-signed Demaryius Thomas last summer. With the league’s potential highest-paid defender probably set for the tag, Malik Jackson‘s future in Denver becomes cloudier after a report surfaced of his latest demands. Miller’s tag would cost the Broncos $14.12MM.
  • Denver’s also started restructure talks with DeMarcus Ware and Ryan Clady, Mike Klis of 9News reports. Each is slated to take up than $11MM of the Broncos’ 2016 cap. Clady, the longest-tenured Broncos cog and their left tackle starter since 2008, previously agreed to discuss restructuring his deal. Going into the third and final season of his $30MM deal, the 33-year-old Ware had not. Although he missed five games last season with a bulging disc, Ware re-emerged as a dominant presence in the playoffs, which could potentially complicate this abrupt renegotiation. The 29-year-old Clady’s deal runs through 2017. He’s missed both Super Bowls and 30 regular-season games in 2013 and ’15, and although Clady suited up for all of 2014, his play dipped a bit from the previous All-Pro level.
  • The Chargers are not locked into their No. 3 selection and will listen to offers to trade down, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. With needs across the roster and teams potentially clamoring about moving up to take a quarterback, trading down could make sense for the Chargers. They haven’t had the opportunity to select a player in the top five since ending up with Philip Rivers in 2004, however, both times San Diego’s held a top-five selection in the 21st century, 2001 and 2004, it traded the pick.
  • The Steelers losing both Kelvin Beachum and Ramon Foster in free agency is an unlikely scenario, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. Continuity-heavy Pittsburgh’s working to retain at least one of its offensive line’s starting left side, La Canfora reports.

Broncos Rumors: QBs, Trevathan, Clady, RBs, Davis

February 25th, 2016 at 5:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is still undecided about whether to retire or return for his age-40 season, general manager John Elway said at the combine on Thursday (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post).

“He still needs more time, so we’re going to afford him that time,” said Elway, who met with Manning a couple nights ago, per Jhabvala.

Elway and Manning will meet again in a week or two, Lindsay Jones of USA Today tweets.

“The ball is in his court,” Elway said.

Elway also touched on some of the Super Bowl champions’ other key issues Thursday. Let’s dive in…

  • The Broncos will not place the franchise tag on Manning’s potential successor, Brock Osweiler, according to Elway (Twitter link Jones). They would like to lock him up to a new deal, though. “We’re really not in a hurry. Brock knows what we have to offer and we still have a great deal of interest in Brock,” Elway stated (Twitter link via Jhabvala).
  • Linebacker Danny Trevathan will “probably have to test the market,” Elway said (per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). Denver doesn’t seem likely to retain Trevathan, who is in position to cash in after accruing 109 tackles, two picks and ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 10th-best linebacker last season.
  • Elway has spent most of his draft prep focusing on the offensive line, he said (Twitter link via Jones). He’ll also meet with offensive tackle Ryan Clady‘s agent on Friday to discuss restructuring his contract, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Clady indicated earlier this winter that he’s open to reworking his deal to stay a Bronco. Injuries have plagued the four-time Pro Bowler, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL and has sat out 30 of Denver’s last 48 regular-season games. Clady, 29, is scheduled for cap charges exceeding $10MM in each of the next two seasons.
  • In addition to Clady, the Broncos might also attempt to rework edge rusher DeMarcus Ware‘s contract, Legwold writes. Ware is currently set to count $11.67MM against the Broncos’ cap for his age-34 season.
  • Running back will be a position the Broncos look at in free agency and the draft, per Elway, who added that C.J. Anderson “had a good year.” On free agent-to-be Ronnie Hillman, Elway stated, “[W]e’ll see what happens” (Twitter links via Jhabvala).
  • The Broncos will allow tight end Vernon Davis, whom they acquired from the 49ers last fall, to test the free agent market, according to Elway. “But that’s not to say we don’t want him back,” he added (Twitter link via Renck).

Extra Points: Manning, Hayne, Raiders, Eagles

January 31st, 2016 at 9:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers tried to lean on then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s familiarity with Peyton Manning as a recruitment tool when they, the Titans and Broncos were finalists for the then-free agent’s services, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Fangio, the Bears’ current DC and then the 49ers’ defensive boss, was the Colts’ defensive coordinator under Jim Mora from 1999-01 and recalled the back-and-forths he had with the wunderkind quarterback during their time in Indianapolis. The two would verbally jostle in practices if Manning felt the defense was playing the wrong coverage, and Fangio would counter that the practices weren’t geared only to Manning success.

Fangio thought a 49ers talented defense that had the team on the cusp of Super Bowl XLVI the season prior would be the then-36-year-old quarterback’s ticket to another championship.

“When we were talking to him about coming to the 49ers,” Fangio told Branch, “I told him we’d let him win in practice if he signed.”

Manning will play in the 49ers’ stadium Sunday, doing so in a non-preseason setting for the first time since since joining the Broncos.

Here’s the latest from around the league as the Pro Bowl’s conclusion leaves just one game remaining in the 2015 season.

  • Trent Baalke still sees a place for ex-rugby standout Jarryd Hayne on the 49ers even after a regime change, Michael Chammas of the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald reports. “[Chip Kelly is] excited to get his hands on him, the whole coaching staff is. We’ll find out in short order who fits and who doesn’t fit,” Baalke told Chammas. The Sydney-based reporter notes Hayne’s 2016 season will determine if he returns to the National Rugby League after that, with the 28-year-old being waived by the 49ers last season and re-signed to the team’s practice squad. “I think that there were enough signs that he was still ways away in respect to development, that we felt there was a good chance he would make it through waivers and we’d be able to put him on our practice,” Baalke said of the soon-to-be-28-year-old running back.
  • Ryan Clady earlier today said he’d be willing to rework his contract to help the Broncos, which would increase his chances of being on the team for a ninth season. Entering his age-30 campaign off of two season-ending injuries in three seasons, Clady intimated to Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press he’s ready for offseason work after undergoing surgery in June 2015, but said the Broncos may want him to skip OTAs to be ready for training camp. A former first-team All-Pro, Clady tore his ACL during OTAs last season, prompting the Broncos to sign current left tackle Ryan Harris as an emergency replacement.
  • The NFL doesn’t see Oakland coming up with a viable stadium plan in the near future, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. The Raiders are scouring the Pacific Time Zone for other avenues and haven’t discussed a new stadium since the owners’ meetings Jan. 12.
  • Sam Bradford faces a complex decision on whether to return to the Eagles, and the Texans will be their primary competition, should the seventh-year former No. 1 overall pick reach free agency, the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Paul Domowitch writes the Kelly trade target will depart due to the Texans having a superior defense and Doug Pederson‘s arrival negating the familiarity edge for the Eagles, while John Smallwood notes the Broncos could be in play, should they decide Brock Osweiler won’t be enough to keep them in the Super Bowl conversation. Overall, 11 of the 19 Daily News staffers polled, however, indicated Bradford would be back on the Eagles in ’16.

Ryan Clady Willing To Rework Contract

January 31st, 2016 at 12:07pm CST by Rory Parks

Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady is willing to rework his current contract to stay in Denver, according to Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press. Clady, who has spent his entire career in the Mile High City, was one of the most durable players in the league–and also one of the best–before landing on IR in September 2013 with a season-ending Lisfranc injury. He played the entire 2014 campaign but he tore his ACL during OTAs in May 2015 and has missed the entire 2015 season. The Broncos will have appeared in two of the last three Super Bowls, and Clady will have missed both.

In July 2013, the two-time First-Team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler signed a five-year, $52.5MM contract with the Broncos, and he has seen action in only two games of the subsequent three seasons. He is on the books for a $9.5MM base salary in 2016, which does not include any guarantees, which makes him a prime candidate for a pay cut or restructure. Clady will be just 30 when the 2016 season begins, so he may certainly have a couple more quality seasons left in him, assuming he can overcome his recent spate of injuries.

Given that the Broncos will likely go into 2016 with a young signal-caller, Clady’s presence could be invaluable for the club moving forward. Now that he has publicly declared his willingness to rework his present deal, the Broncos should be in a better position to address some of its top priorities this offseason, including a new contract for Von Miller.

Clady did say that the Broncos have not yet approached him about his contract status, but he expects the team to do so after the season. Said Clady, “I’m definitely willing to talk. I definitely would like to be a lifetime Bronco.” Clady is currently the longest-tenured member of the club.

Ryan Clady Tears ACL, Out For Year

May 29th, 2015 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 11:27am: The Broncos didn’t wait long to determine that Clady’s season is officially over, placing him on injured reserve today, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The veteran tackle is on the books for a $9.5MM base salary in 2016, which doesn’t include any guarantees, so it’s possible that he’ll have to take a pay cut to remain with Denver next year, depending on how his recovery goes.

THURSDAY, 2:25pm: Speaking to reporters today, head coach Gary Kubiak said that the team won’t officially rule Clady out for the 2015 season quite yet, and that the short-term IR list could be an option. With Clady out, the initial plan is to leave Clark at right tackle, with Sambrailo and Schofield in the mix on the left side (Twitter links via Lindsay Jones of USA Today).

1:25pm: The man responsible for protecting Peyton Manning‘s blind side may miss the entire 2015 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter reports that Ryan Clady, Denver’s starting left tackle, tore his ACL during practice on Wednesday and will likely be sidelined for the year.

Clady, 28, has manned the left tackle spot for the Broncos since being drafted in the first round by the team in 2008. The veteran tackle has earned four Pro Bowl berths and two All-Pro nods, starting every game for Denver in every season except 2013, when he went down in September with a season-ending Lisfranc injury — Clady’s ACL tear figures to be his second season-ending injury in the last three years.

According to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), Clady didn’t rank among the league’s top tackles in 2014, with his -2.8 grade putting him in about the middle of the pack. Still, he logged 1,084 offensive snaps and allowed Peyton Manning to be sacked just twice, making him a steady and reliable presence on the Broncos’ offensive line.

With Clady out of action, the Broncos will be forced to find a replacement at yet another spot on their line, after making several changes to the group already this offseason. Orlando Franklin signed with the division-rival Chargers as a free agent, and Manuel Ramirez was sent to Detroit in a draft-day trade. Free agent signee Shelley Smith and trade acquisition Gino Gradkowski are expected to get the first opportunities to step into the starting lineup, though now another new starter will have to step up as well.

Right tackle Chris Clark shifted over to the left side when Clady went down two years ago, and could be asked to do so again in 2015. Michael Schofield, a 2014 third-round pick, and Ty Sambrailo, 2015’s second-rounder, are candidates to compete for playing time at either left or right tackle.

Notable Contracts Guaranteed Today

March 14th, 2015 at 4:25pm CST by Rob DiRe

On today, the fifth day of the league year, a number of contracts have become fully or partially guaranteed.

Below are a number of notable contracts that have money guaranteed as of today, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports. All links are via Twitter.