| Season | Base Salary | Prorated Signing Bonus | Per Game Roster Bonus | Cash Due | Cap Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,470,000† | $2,166,666 | $1,530,000 | $11,500,000 | $5,816,666 |
| 2026 | $7,470,000‡ | $2,166,666 | $1,530,000 | $9,000,000 | $11,166,666 |
| 2027 | $9,470,000 | $2,166,668 | $1,530,000 | $11,000,000 | $13,166,668 |
†fully guaranteed salary
‡$2 million of salary vests to fully guaranteed on the 5th day of the 2026 league year
This is a three year, $31.5 million contract that pays Greenlaw a million above the $10.5 million APY in his first season, including a $6.5 million signing bonus. Also highly notable with this contract is the presence of per game roster bonuses amounting to $90,000 per game, larger than something more typical than the $30,000 per game that’s in Evan Engram’s contract
Analysis
This is clearly a contract that would be offered to a player coming off a season of injury recovery. That fact that Greenlaw agreed to this contract would indicate that the rest of the market viewed his current talent similarly. If the market is correct in being skeptical, the Broncos have very little to lose in letting this be just a single season arrangement, with only a minimum of about $4.3 million in dead cap dollars, and even incurring another $2 million in dead cash by letting the injury guarantee vest would not be costly either.
However, I think this is a very good signing by the Broncos, with a high ceiling of return at low risk. Greenlaw’s Achilles tear during the Super Bowl was a freak injury, and for it to occur that late in the season makes it very understandable that he needed most of 2024 to recover. Without that, Greenlaw highly likely gets a contract in the $15 million-$17 million range that the top linebackers in free agency like Zack Baun, Nick Bolton, or Jamien Sherwood got. If Greenlaw returns to his top tier performance, the Broncos should also be prepared to proactively secure an extension to correct his market value once again if it happens.
The future of the linebacker position in Denver will also be fascinating to watch, and as early as training camp. Alex Singleton continues to recover from his own season ending injury, and is due $6 million in nonguaranteed salary. This is amid Drew Sanders moving back to linebacker for good, and the Broncos also securing a four year qualifying offer contract to bring back Justin Strnad. Should Greenlaw be back to his usual play, Sanders emerges as a viable starter, and Strnad continues to provide solid depth, that could put Singleton in a contractual bind before the start of the regular season.