Death of Us Down Road for the Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos’ 2024 season has been a story of progress: a 6-7 record, playoff contention, and fixes to longstanding issues like penalties and rushing inconsistency. But beneath the surface, there are warning signs—unresolved challenges that could turn this season’s momentum into future frustration. "Death of Us Down Road for the Denver Broncos" isn’t about immediate failure; it’s about the long-term risks the team is ignoring: expiring contracts for key players, uncertainty at the quarterback position beyond Russell Wilson, and a salary cap crunch that could limit future moves. These issues, if left unaddressed, could erase the Broncos’ 2024 gains and consign them to another cycle of rebuilding. The time to act is now—but the Broncos’ front office has yet to show a clear plan to avoid these pitfalls.

Death of Us Down Road for the Denver Broncos begins with the looming free agency crisis that threatens to strip the team of key talent. After the 2024 season, 14 Broncos players will hit unrestricted free agency—including defensive tackle Chris Jones, the midseason signing who transformed the pass rush, and wide receiver Courtland Sutton, a veteran leader with 650 receiving yards this year. Jones, in particular, will command a massive contract: at 31, he’s likely seeking a multi-year deal worth $25+ million annually, a price tag the Broncos may struggle to afford given their current salary cap situation. Sutton, meanwhile, has been the team’s most reliable receiver for years, and losing him would leave a gaping hole in the passing game—especially if third-year receiver Pat Bryant can’t replicate his 1,000-yard form. "We’re celebrating now, but no one’s talking about January 2025," said a former NFL front office executive who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Jones and Sutton are the backbone of this team’s improvement. Letting both walk? That’s the kind of mistake that sets you back three years. It’s the death of your progress down the road." The Broncos’ front office has acknowledged the issue but offered no concrete solutions—leaving fans to wonder if this season’s success is just a one-year blip.

Another critical threat in Death of Us Down Road for the Denver Broncos is the unresolved quarterback succession plan beyond Russell Wilson. Wilson, 35, has played well in 2024 (21 touchdowns, 8 interceptions), but his contract—with a $53 million cap hit in 2025—is among the NFL’s largest. The Broncos can’t afford to keep paying him top dollar as he enters his mid-30s, and they have no clear replacement waiting in the wings. Rookie Bo Nix has shown promise in limited action, but he’s only started one preseason game and has yet to take a regular-season snap in a high-pressure situation. The Broncos’ failure to draft a developmental quarterback earlier (they passed on quarterbacks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts) means they’ll likely be forced to either overpay for a free-agent quarterback or trade for an unproven talent if Wilson struggles or retires. "Quarterback is the most important position in sports, and the Broncos have put all their eggs in Wilson’s basket," said NFL analyst Mike Florio. "If Wilson declines next year, they have no Plan B. That’s not just a risk—that’s a death sentence for a team trying to stay competitive. You can’t build a future without a quarterback, and the Broncos aren’t building one right now."

A key financial risk in Death of Us Down Road for the Denver Broncos is the salary cap crunch that will limit the team’s ability to improve. Currently, the Broncos have just \(12 million in projected cap space for 2025—well below the league average of \)25 million—due to Wilson’s contract and long-term deals for players like defensive end Randy Gregory (who has 7 sacks in 2024 but a $20 million cap hit next year). This lack of space means they’ll likely have to cut veteran players to afford even one high-priced free agent, and they’ll be unable to address other needs (like offensive line depth or secondary help). For the Denver Broncos, this cap situation is a self-inflicted wound: they signed Wilson to a massive extension in 2022 without accounting for future flexibility, and they’ve yet to restructure contracts to free up space. "The Broncos painted themselves into a corner with the Wilson deal," said cap expert Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. "They’re going to have to choose between keeping Jones, keeping Sutton, or fixing the offensive line—they can’t do all three. That’s the death of their roster depth down the road. You need to be able to address multiple needs each offseason, and they won’t be able to do that for at least two years."

Another hidden threat in Death of Us Down Road for the Denver Broncos is the lack of young talent in the defensive secondary—a unit that’s already showing signs of decline. The Broncos’ secondary ranks 22nd in passing yards allowed per game (240.1), and their top cornerbacks—Pat Surtain II (26) and Damarri Mathis (25)—are the only young players in the group. The rest of the secondary is made up of veterans (like safety Justin Simmons, 30) who are entering the final years of their contracts, and the Broncos have drafted just one defensive back in the last two drafts (rookie Ja’Quan McMillian, who has played just 15% of defensive snaps in 2024). This lack of youth means the secondary will likely regress in 2025, especially if Simmons leaves in free agency. "The secondary is a ticking time bomb," said former Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. "Surtain is a star, but he can’t cover every receiver by himself. If they don’t draft or sign young defensive backs soon, teams will start picking apart their secondary. That’s the death of their defense down the road—you can’t win in the NFL if you can’t stop the pass, and they’re not building a secondary that can stop anyone in two years." For the Denver Broncos, ignoring this need now will mean playing catch-up later—at a time when they can least afford it.

Wrapping up Death of Us Down Road for the Denver Broncos is the urgency of addressing these issues before it’s too late. The Broncos’ 2024 success has given them a window of opportunity: they can use their playoff contention to attract free agents, they can trade for draft picks to rebuild the secondary, and they can restructure Wilson’s contract to free up cap space. But if they wait—if they focus solely on the present and ignore the future—they’ll squander this chance. "Success in the NFL is about sustainability, not one-year runs," said Broncos legend John Elway, who built two Super Bowl-winning teams by balancing present and future needs. "The Broncos have a chance to be good for a long time, but only if they start planning now. If they don’t, this season’s success will be forgotten, and they’ll be right back where they were in 2022 and 2023." For the Denver Broncos, the choice is clear: address the long-term risks now, or face the "death of us down road"—a future where mediocrity replaces progress, and hope turns to frustration. The time to act is not next year, not next month—but now. Because in the NFL, the road to failure is paved with ignored warnings.