It doesn't sound like one veteran wants to return to the Broncos
The Broncos will need to guarantee they can meet his needs.
The offseason is full of free agency drama, and while the Broncos don't have much surrounding them, they still will likely lose some players that were on the team last season.
They have a new regime now, with Sean Payton as the head coach, Vance Joseph as the defensive coordinator, and Joe Lombardi as the offensive coordinator. In other words, everything is different outside of the core group of players.
The new regime may not want to bring some of the players back from last season, which, can you blame them after the season they had last year?
Denver has 25 free agents per Over the Cap, so someone from last year will likely get left out. But, I don't think many thought safety Kareem Jackson would be one. For the most part, the defense was supposed to come back, besides maybe Dre'Mont Jones.
However, his recent comments on NFL Network's Good Morning Football seem like he could be somewhere else next year.
"Yeah, I understand age and all that stuff, which is to me crazy when it comes to that," Jackson started to say. "I mean, keep playing at a high level, you know, regardless of age. But, I mean, yeah. I love a chance, to win a ring, I mean, I have played 14 years and played in the playoffs a couple of times but to not have been in the playoffs the last four years – I mean, I would love to be on a team that's a contender."
It sounds like he won't be on the Broncos next season, because, for one, they won't be contenders next year. In my opinion, they have much more to fix than just getting the right head coach.
Sure, the coach will help things a lot, but at the same time, the players are the ones on the field producing. This team is still a few years away from being contenders, as sad as it is to say. Could they get better next year? For sure.
I mean, they could make the playoffs, because it's the NFL and anything could happen. But making the playoffs doesn't mean you're a contender.
I don't think you could blame Jackson for wanting to go somewhere else though, for the exact reasons he said. He is getting up there in age and has even said in the past that his goal is to play 15 NFL seasons, which would be next year. The clock is ticking and who doesn't want to win on their way out?
For the Broncos' sake, hopefully, they can bring him back. He was a great leader, locker-room guy, and his play on the field showed that as well.
