The Denver Broncos have made some big moves recently in terms of signing players to contract extensions, handing new deals to Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen.
The Broncos have followed this offseason plan perfectly, and if that continues, edge rusher Nik Bonitto will be up for an extension next. That will be a lucrative deal as well, and the Broncos, like any team, only have so much money available under the salary cap. That could force the team to move on from other productive players, and at the top of that list is defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers.
The Broncos traded a sixth-round pick during the 2024 NFL Draft to the New York Jets in exchange for Franklin-Myers. He had a great season with the Broncos, contributing seven sacks, and he is in line to be one of the starters again this year. But he is in the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract, and he will be looking for a pay increase before hitting free agency.
The Broncos may not be able to afford to do that, so Franklin-Myers could be playing elsewhere in 2026.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report feels it might be best for the Broncos to place Franklin-Myers on the trade block now to start fielding offers, before having to make that decision.
"Denver Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers will be a free agent in 2026 and has been angling for a new contract this offseason.
The 28-year-old didn't report for organized team activities (OTAs) and hasn't ignored the fact that teammates like Zach Allen and Jonathan Cooper have gotten extensions—or that head coach Sean Payton has publicly mentioned Nik Bonitto as an extension candidate.
"I love my brothers, we can all eat!" Franklin-Myers posted on X.
The reality, though, is that Denver can't pay everyone, and the 2018 fourth-rounder has only been with the franchise for one season. He'll turn 29 in September and should have quite a few good years ahead of him, but the Broncos may not consider him an integral long-term building block.
With rookie Sai'vion Jones looming as a potential replacement, Denver should see what it can get for Franklin-Myers.
Presumably, Franklin-Myers would bring a respectable return after logging 40 tackles and seven sacks in 2024. There should be multiple teams willing to acquire and extend him. For Denver, trading him would save $8 million in cap space", wrote Knox.
The Broncos definitely traded back into the third round of this year's draft and selected Sai'vion Jones with Franklin-Myers' contract in mind. The team is mindful of the fact that it may not be able to retain him beyond this season, and the depth behind him needed an upgrade.
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With that said, the Broncos might be better off to just keep Franklin-Myers through this season and get the most out of him. Jones is not going to be ready to start as a rookie, and the team would be weakening its overall defensive front by trading him. Unless they receive an offer that is just too good to pass up, the best move would be to hold onto Franklin-Myers and allow him to enter free agency next year if they are unable to give him the deal he is looking for.
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