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Are Broncos' free-agency splurges misguided?
Per Spotrac, the Denver Broncos have spent over $241.5 million on free agents this offseason, second-most in the NFL.
But before buying into the Broncos, understand their blueprint is a gamble.
It's possible that Denver overpaid multiple free agents, placing them among the highest-paid players at their position. According to The Athletic's Mike Sando, Denver made Mike McGlinchey the fifth-highest-paid RT, Ben Powers the 10th-highest-paid guard and Zach Allen the 10th-highest-paid DE.
The Allen deal (a three-year, $45.8 million contract) flabbergasted one league executive.
"We liked Zach and would've been interested in the $10 million range," the exec told Sando. "Then we heard he had something north of $13 million, and then he signed for $15 million, and it is, 'OK, that is crazy.' He has durability issues too."
In four seasons, Allen has never recorded more than 5.5 sacks, has never played an entire season and holds no Pro Bowl selections.
Powers and McGlinchey are less injury-prone and both played 17 games in 2022, but neither has made a Pro Bowl.
Denver could be making head-scratching moves, or it might be taking a page from the Jaguars, who spent the most money in free agency in 2022 and made the playoffs after going 3-14 in 2021.
The philosophy hinges on players breaking out and having a career year. For example, Jacksonville WR Christian Kirk had a career-high 1,108 receiving yards, good for 14th in the NFL. New Denver HC Sean Payton, a Super Bowl champion, can elevate the new roster pieces and produce similar results.
However, being skeptical about the Broncos is reasonable because their recent blockbuster moves, such as the Russell Wilson trade, have not panned out. Additionally, these moves aren't a guarantee.
It will be on the new leadership to create positive outcomes.
More must-reads:
- Broncos HC Sean Payton continues to establish authority
- How Tim Patrick's return elevates Denver's WR room
- The 'John Elway touchdown passes' quiz
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Kings Predicted to Send Malik Monk to Lakers for $66 Million Duo in Offseason Trade
As the 2025-26 NBA season nears, one team that continues to be the subject of trade rumors is the Sacramento Kings. Of course, the Kings elected to keep their core of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVien together this offseason despite many around the league expecting them to begin a rebuild. Sacramento also made some notable additions to their roster this summer as they selected Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud in the 2025 draft and added Dennis Schroder in free agency. While the Kings have upgraded their roster this offseason, some of their players continue to be in trade rumors, primarily for Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga who Sacramento is reportedly targeting. For the Kings, multiple players have come up in trad rumors this summer but none more than Malik Monk who is coming off the best season of his NBA career. Despite this, the Kings have elected to keep Monk thus far but that could change as they continue to look for ways to upgrade their roster even more this offseason to chase a playoff spot next season. Kings predicted to trade Malik Monk to Lakers With this in mind, SB Nations’ Jacob Rude recently released a mock trade that would send Malik Monk to the Los Angeles Lakers for two players. In the trade, the Kings would land Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber and a lottery protected 2031 first-round pick from the Lakers in return for Monk. This trade does not make a ton of sense for the Kings as they would swap one of the best scorers on their roster for two veterans who struggled last season and a lottery protected first-round pick. Both Vincent and Kleber would be solid additions to the Kings’ roster as they would fill two glaring holes in their rotation, but Sacramento would likely want more in return for Monk, especially with him coming off the best season of his career. Because of this, it is highly unlikely that the Kings would agree to this trade as they could possibly receive a larger return for their veteran guard from another team this offseason.
Bryson DeChambeau divulges Scottie Scheffler's biggest advantage
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Reason for Struggling Warriors-Bulls Trade Involving Jonathan Kuminga
The Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls are two teams stuck in major limbo. On one end, the Warriors have not made any signifcant moves during NBA free agency, largely due to not finding a solution to Jonathan Kuminga's contract dilemma. On the other end, the Chicago Bulls have been stuck trying to find a solution for both Nikola Vucevic and Josh Giddey. Coincidentally, the two teams could very easily help each other, but it's looking like they won't. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors are not open to any sign-and-trades for Jonathan Kuminga that would force them to trade either Buddy Hield or Moses Moody. "Golden State values both players quite highly, sources say, while maintaining high expectations for both Hield and Moody to be consistent contributors who prove reliable in providing the necessary spacing to boost the Warriors' half-court offense in the postseason," Fischer said. Why Won't a Jonathan Kuminga Trade to the Chicago Bulls Happen? From Fischer's analysis and reporting, the Warriors refusing to trade either Hield or Moody will be the main reason why a trade does not happen between the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. "The Warriors' refusal to entertain the prospect of surrendering Hield or Moody in those circumstances are among the prime reasons that it's difficult to envision Golden State and Chicago ever finding common ground on a sign-and-trade construction that features Kuminga and Giddey switching teams," Fischer said. Are the Golden State Warriors Interested in Josh Giddey? It may have seemed like the Warriors' interest in Josh Giddey seemed to have come out of nowhere, but according to Fischer, their interest is genuine. However, if the team has to trade Hield or Moody, it won't be happening. "I'm told that the Warriors continue to value Giddey's skillset and have communicated their interest to the Australian point guard's representation. There simply does not appear to be a feasible pathway to such a trade … not right now," Fischer said. Simply stated, the Golden State Warriors are interested in trading for Josh Giddey, which would likely be for Jonathan Kuminga, but the salaries make it tough. "The base-year compensation issue alone makes it challenging before we even get to the limited salary-matching and outgoing player flexibility that Golden State is currently facing," Fischer concluded. The Warriors and Bulls still have over a month before training camp, but once the clock reaches September, then it may be short.
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