The Denver Broncos accomplished a free agency feat that fans aren’t very happy about
It’s been a sluggish start to free agency for the Denver Broncos.
The Seattle Seahawks signed former Indianapolis Colts safety Rodney Thomas II on Thursday.
Why is that notable for Denver Broncos fans?
Because it means that Denver is now the only team in the NFL that hasn’t agreed to a deal with an outside free agent yet.
The Broncos are, of course, eventually going to sign some outside free agents — quite a few, probably.
Now, not all of those will be impact signings that make the team. Some will be camp bodies, some will be fliers, and some will be to fill key roles (either as a starter or as depth).
Still, fans aren’t happy that Denver hasn’t been aggressive during the first few days of free agency (if you don’t believe me, just search “Broncos free agency” on any social media app).
Super Bowls aren’t won in March
The teams that win March aren’t always the teams that win the following February.
We’ve seen plenty of free agent signings get praised in March, only to be non-factors during the season. It happens every year. (Remember when the Broncos signed Ja’Wuan James to a four-year deal for $51 million in 2019 and then he only played three games for Denver?)
That’s why it’s worth remembering what Broncos head coach Sean Payton said two years ago about trades and free agency.
“My brother’s the worst at this,” said Payton in 2024 before the NFL trade deadline. “He’s the worst at free agency, and he’s the worst at the trade deadline. He just wants to see action. Then right after the action takes place, he never goes back and reflects and says, ‘Well that was a bad signing,’ or, ‘That was a bad trade.’ I say that — I kid him — but I think that there’s so much more that goes into it relative to whether you’re trading a player [or] acquiring a player.
“Contracts go into it, vision goes into it and locker room goes into it. There are a lot of details that go into that. To answer your question fairly, I’m sitting here with the numbers right now with Kansas City, the depth chart, injury report and scouting report. [I] kind of finished up on Baltimore. Our players are in meetings on Baltimore. That’s where we’re at.”
No one in the NFL wants to win it all more than Payton. If there were a move out there that Denver felt would’ve put them over the top, they would’ve made it. The fact they didn’t should tell fans all they need to know about this free agency market.