When the Denver Broncos cut linebacker Jonas Griffith last week, he was not given an injury designation, implying that he was healthy. Three days after being released, though, Griffith announced that he needs to undergo ACL surgery on the same knee he injured last summer.
The Broncos are not retroactively placing Griffith on injured reserve, but coach Sean Payton said Monday that the team will “do right by” the linebacker through an injury settlement.
“This is tough,” Payton said. “[It’s] tough on him and tough on everyone. He went through the process of being released and then what’s a little bit unusual in his post-exam, they discovered more of an issue with his ACL. It wasn’t one event specific. In the end, there will be an injury settlement which is pretty common.
“What isn’t common is finishing the [pre]season playing like he did and then discovering that this is a little bit more significant than we thought. We’re going to certainly do right by the player and take care of him. He’s someone that’s busted his tail here for the better part of two years trying to stay healthy.”
Griffith missed eight games with a foot injury in 2022 and all of last season with a torn ACL. The 27-year-old linebacker totaled 92 tackles, five quarterback hits, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup in 22 games (12 starts) in Denver.
After reaching an injury settlement with the Broncos, Griffith will be a free agent, but he seems likely to miss the 2024 season following ACL surgery.
