Broncos make first free agent signing of 2024 offseason

The Denver Broncos have made their first free agent signing of the 2024 NFL offseason (sort of).

The Broncos can’t begin negotiating with pending free agents from other teams until March 11, but they can give extensions to their looming in-house free agents before then.

Denver has made its first in-house signing of the offseason by giving a one-year deal to Jonas Griffith, the linebacker’s agency announced Wednesday. Griffith was an exclusive rights free agent so the signing is somewhat of a formality, but it’s news nonetheless.

As an EFRA, Griffith had no leverage in negotiations. The Broncos gave him a one-year, $985,000 deal for the 2024 season. Griffith, 27, is entering his fifth year in the NFL, but he is considered a “third-year” player because he only has two accrued seasons in the league.

After spending his rookie season on the practice squads of the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, Griffith landed in Denver via trade in 2021. He played in 13 games that season and started nine games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending foot injury. Griffith then missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL.

Now healthy again, Griffith might have an opportunity to compete for a starting job this summer given that Josey Jewell is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

Before giving a one-year extension to Griffith, the Broncos previously signed 14 players to reserve/future contracts. Those players have not officially joined the 90-man offseason roster because their contracts do not activate until the NFL’s new league year begins in March.

1

LB Jonas Griffith (ERFA tender)

(John Cordes/AP Images for Panini)

2

QB Ben DiNucci (reserve/future contract)

(Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

3

RB Tyler Badie (reserve/future contract)

(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

4

WR Phillip Dorsett (reserve/future contract)

(Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)

5

WR David Sills (reserve/future contract)

(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

6

OT Will Sherman (reserve/future contract)

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

7

OT Demontrey Jacobs (reserve/future contract)

(AP Photo/Kelly Sheehan)

8

DL Rashard Lawrence (reserve/future contract)

(Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

9

DT Jordan Jackson (reserve/future contract)

(Photo by Tyler Schank/Getty Images)

10

LB Durell Nchami (reserve/future contract)

(Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

11

OLB Ronnie Perkins (reserve/future contract)

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

12

CB Reese Taylor (reserve/future contract)

(Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)

13

DB Keidron Smith (reserve/future contract)

(Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)

14

DB Devon Key (reserve/future contract)

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

15

DB Tanner McCalister (reserve/future contract)

(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)