Mile High Huddle

Details Emerge on Broncos DT D.J. Jones' New Contract: Grade

Did the Denver Broncos get good value on D.J. Jones' new contract?

Bob Morris

Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones (93) celebrates a holding penalty against Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) for a safety during the second quarter at Lumen Field.
Sep 8, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones (93) celebrates a holding penalty against Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) for a safety during the second quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
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The Denver Broncos have been active since the free-agency period opened last week. We've seen players signed and re-signed, and many have departed for outside teams.

I've been breaking down each free agent the Broncos have either signed or re-signed to multi-year contracts. I'll look at the details, as provided by Over The Cap, and see how the Broncos did in terms of the player in question and the market for the position.

Next up is interior defensive lineman D.J. Jones, who re-signed with the Broncos on a three-year, $36 million contract.

Contract Details

  • 2025: $8M signing bonus (fully guaranteed), $4.49M base salary (fully guaranteed) $510K per-game roster bonus (fully guaranteed).
  • 2026: $12.49M base salary (fully guaranteed), $510K per-game roster bonus (fully guaranteed).
  • 2027: $12.235M base salary, $765K per-game roster bonus.
  • 2028 and 2029: Void years for salary cap purposes.

Cap Charges

  • 2025: $6.6M
  • 2026: $14.6M
  • 2027: $15.6M
  • 2028: $3.2M dead money unless re-signed.

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Gut Reaction

First of all, as of this writing, for those looking at Over The Cap, there are entries for a massive roster bonus in 2028 and 2029, but that was likely an error in entering information. There should not be any roster bonus due during the void years.

Getting back to the contract itself, the Broncos used two void years to spread out the signing bonus over a five-year period. However, the Broncos can get out of the Jones deal in 2027 with a $4.8M dead money charge and $10.8M in cap space freed.

The advantage for Jones is he gets a true two-year commitment from the Broncos. They could still trade him in 2026 but Jones will collect all his salary for the next two years.

In terms of how his contract aligns with the market, there are some players who got less money than him, such as Poona Ford, who might have been able to provide similar or better production. However, some players got more money than Jones, such as Javon Kinlaw, who got cut by the New York Jets and then signed with the Washington Commanders for more money than he received on his previous deal.

I imagine the Broncos decided it was better to go with familiarity than add somebody in free agency who might not work out. In doing so, they gave that player they know a raise over his previous deal and another two-year commitment.

I don't blame the Broncos for sticking with who they know, but I do wonder if the Broncos could have gotten a similar player at a lower price.

Contract Grade

C+

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Bob Morris
BOB MORRIS

Bob Morris has served as Mile High Huddle's resident Cap Analyst covering the Denver Broncos and NFL since 2017. His works have been featured on Scout.com, 247Sports.com, CBSSports.com and BleacherReport.com.

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