NEW ORLEANS — John Franklin-Myers may not be thrilled, but he’s ready for regular-season football.
The Broncos defensive tackle is entering the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract he signed after getting traded to Denver last spring.
There’s been little sign of movement toward a deal, and sources told The Denver Post the sides did not negotiate this summer. That stands in contrast to veterans Courtland Sutton (four years, $92 million) and Zach Allen (four years, $102 million), who landed major long-term agreements. Fourth-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto doesn’t have a new deal yet, but he said recently his team and the Broncos have had productive talks and that he thinks a deal “will get done.”
Not so for Franklin-Myers, though he said any feelings he may have about his current status are now sidelined for the next several months.
“We all just want to feel wanted, and I think when it’s time to play football, obviously money and stuff aside, I’m under contract,” Franklin-Myers said after Denver’s preseason finale. “So football is football. Obviously, we all want what we’re worth, but until then, shoot, I’m going to play football. It is what it is.”
Franklin-Myers’ addition last year helped turn what was one of the NFL’s worst defensive fronts in 2023 into one of its best in 2024. His ability to rush the passer not only gave offenses fits, but it also kept them from being able to turn double teams toward Allen on a regular basis.
Allen broke out with an 8.5-sack season and led all NFL defensive tackles with 67 pressures and 40 hits.
“Zach’s my dawg. I said it from the jump,” Franklin-Myers said. “Man, (Jets defensive lineman) Quinnen Williams was a good friend of mine, played with him for a long time, and I was happier when he got paid than when I got paid. Zach Allen is no different. You talk about somebody who shows up every day. He earned the money.
“He makes me better, makes the team better. He deserves his money. I’m all for it, and Zach deserves all of it.”
Now, Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach appear poised to enter Week 1 without contractual security beyond this year. Roach laid out a straightforward approach earlier in camp in saying that if everybody plays well, everybody’s going to get paid. It’s just a matter of whether that’s in Denver or elsewhere.
In the meantime, the defensive line has big goals.
“We lost in the playoffs (last year) and my ultimate goal is to help this team win the Super Bowl,” Franklin-Myers said. “That’s what I’ll continue to do this year.”
In the process, the veteran defensive lineman can make himself a lot of money. He logged a career-best seven sacks last year and notched 40-plus pressures for the fifth straight season. His 12.6% pressure rate was just a tick off his career-high of 12.7% the year prior for the Jets, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“Much like anything, you’re only as strong as the weakest link,” Franklin-Myers said. “We pride ourselves on not exactly having a weakest link. We understand it’s a business more than anything, and all the theatrics don’t matter to me. I’m here to play football whether they pay me or not. If not, then I’ll be a free agent this offseason, and my time is going to come.
“Whether it’s this year or next year or in five years, my time is going to come.”
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