Broncos Defender Speaks Out on Contract Situation: 'Underpaid'

Franklin-Myers skipped the voluntary portion of the Broncos' offseason training program this past spring. But he showed up for the mandatory minicamp in mid-June.

Set to make roughly $7.4 million in base salary this year, Franklin-Myers believes he's worth more. He may be right, but that doesn't make the team's situation any easier, considering all the mouths to feed at the moment.

This past Wednesday, head coach Sean Payton addressed the unresolved contract status of "a number" of Broncos players, which could include Franklin-Myers, though we can't say for certain.

"Look, there are a number of guys you're going to ask me about a few contracts. They're all being worked on," Payton said on July 23. "[It’s] something we really would never discuss with you, and those guys are getting work done. There's been good communication, and I'm just going to leave it at that relative to the specific players."

Spotrac estimates Franklin-Myers' market value to be around $8.5 million per year, but that could be low for an interior defender who can threaten to produce double-digit sacks while also being great against the run, as our Bob Morris wrote recently. Franklin-Myers has been an awesome addition in Denver, and if the Broncos didn't have so many other star players also wanting to get paid, he'd probably already be extended.

There's a chance that Franklin-Myers plays out the final year of his deal with the Broncos, and departs in free agency next season. But after seeing how dominant the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line was in the Super Bowl, decimating and dominating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos have some serious food for thought on the Franklin-Myers front.

However, with their burgeoning franchise quarterback Bo Nix playing on his rookie contract for the next four seasons, the Broncos have to make hay while the sun is shining, and invest in other key areas while they can afford to.

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Franklin-Myers deserves an extension. The Broncos re-signed nose tackle D.J. Jones in the offseason, and drafted Sai'vion Jones in the third round, the latter of whom gives the team a viable successor to Franklin-Myers if things don't work out after this season.

I'm hopeful that the Broncos accommodate him, along with Allen and Bonitto, and keep that ferocious defensive front intact for the foreseeable future. This front was the reason the Broncos led the NFL in sacks last year and set a new single-season franchise record with 63.

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