After such a quiet open to free agency that saw the Denver Broncos re-sign their 2025 players and add zero players from the outside, they hit us with a mega blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to land wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. There are dull moments in Broncos Country, but that dull moments seem to just be the quiet before a storm.
Frankly, they needed this trade. Picking late in the first round was not going to net the type of impact player the offense desperately needed. And the best part? The salary cap will barely move in 2026 from this trade. Let’s take a look at how it breaks down via Spotrac:
Jaylen Waddle Contract
Denver will receive just a $4.9M cap hit for 2026 with the Dolphins eating the other $23.2M. So for this season, they will get an impact receiver at a very reduced cap cost.
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Things will get interesting after this season, though, as the total cap will now rise to $337.7M with just 37 players under contract. That would put them $14.7M over the projected cap for next season. The championship window is literally now and Sean Payton has pushed all his chips in.
What do you think of the trade and, more importantly, how do you think the Broncos will navigate the salary cap after this season?
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