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https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1006558107181428736 Beyond the fold, observe the difference in McDonald's 2018 contract year before and after this renegotiation.Read more...

With the 2018 Broncos rookie class on board, and Shane Ray’s fifth year option being declined, there’s enough in place to take the earliest reasonable look at a few contractual aspects worth keeping an eye out for the Broncos with regard to 2019.Read more...

Last January, I put together my annual look at what directions I felt the Broncos should go for 2018. With all the relevant decisions now in the books, it's time to see where John Elway concurred with and dissented from my opinion, and see if there are any revisions I would make four months later.Read more...

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/986597645387956224 https://twitter.com/Jeff_Legwold/status/986602846748422144 Read more...

It's generally believed that the modus operandi of John Elway is to fill as many immediate needs as possible in free agency, thus freeing up the Broncos to take a best player available approach to the draft. I do feel that Elway has pretty much accomplished the first goal, and that he'll more or less stick to the second goal. However, I think it would be worth looking at where the Broncos' roster could stand come the 2019 offseason. Come then, I could foresee many positions that, while not a need now, have a chance to be at that time.Read more...

https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/982277922953117697 Beyond the fold, here is what King's contract table may look like:Read more...

Aaron Wilson, as usual, comes through with the details on this extension: https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/974283757292343296 This contract table will be very simple, so let's get right to it:Read more...

For only the second time that I can recall under John Elway, the Broncos have restructured the contract of a major player: https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/974247105693876224 What does this mean for Miller? In its simplest terms, the Broncos just wrote a $16.5 million check to Miller right now for salaries he was due to make not until the regular season. Miller (and anyone else!) should enjoy getting $16.5 million in his bankroll right now, instead of six to nine months later. What does this mean for the Broncos? It's best to illustrate through a pair of before and after contract tables.Read more...

https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/974049410475806725 UPDATE: March 16 - It took a while, but Mike Klis finally comes through with the numbers: https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/974750025421959168 Keenum's contract table is as follows, beyond the fold:

Year	Base Salary	Prorated Bonus	Roster Bonus	Cap Number	Dead Money & Cap Savings
2018	$8,000,000	$3,000,000	$4,000,000	$15,000,000	$25,000,000	($10,000,000)
2019	$18,000,000	$3,000,000	$0	$21,000,000	$10,000,000	$11,000,000

Here are my early takeaways from this structure:

• Keenum's 2018 cap number of $15 million is quite reasonable, but I worry a bit about the 2019 number of $21 million, because 2019 is a year I foresee in which the Broncos are going to be strapped for cap space. This is increasingly true due to the restructure of Von Miller that sent an extra $4 million of cap dollars to 2019. I am guessing that the Broncos are planning that if Keenum plays very well in 2018, they will extend him with the added goal of reducing his 2019 cap number at the same time. If Keenum does not play well or is outplayed by a young quarterback, they can instead cut him.
• And on the topic of cutting in 2019, Klis suggests that "this is [an] ironclad 2-year deal". But I'm not seeing it in this structure. $11 million is still a significant chunk of cap savings to be had even if the Broncos have to carry a $10 million dead money figure. If Keenum truly is a one year wonder, the contract is not as much of a disaster to escape from as, say, what the Texans offered Brock Osweiler.
• Another option to part ways with Keenum in 2019 is via a trade. The Broncos would be relieved of the salary guarantees on Keenum's 2019 year in such a move. This scenario could play out if Keenum plays OK or very little and a young quarterback plays much better.
• As such, this contract does not preclude the Broncos from drafting a rookie quarterback. I realize this has been a point of contention on this site in recent weeks, and I will not offer a new opinion on this divisive subject yet. All I want to do is note its possibility.

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Yesterday, John Elway gave a press conference in Indianapolis as the NFL gears up for the Scouting Combine. Within this conference held some possible clues as to how the Broncos will attack the 2018 league year when it begins on March 14. It's important to keep in mind that what was said by Elway is by no means binding until transactions (or lack thereof) are official. Everything is going to this plan until it doesn't. Nonetheless, Elway tends to be, for better or worse, a fairly straight shooter when it comes to the media, so there's value in hearing what he said and taking some insight from it to try to figure out where Denver will be headed in two weeks. This article will take tweets from reputable reporters citing what Elway said, and I'll follow it with my commentary. Please refer to my 2018 offseason road map as to where my opinions lie as to where the Broncos should go.Read more...