Details Emerge on New Broncos LB Drew Greenlaw's Contract: Grade

Questions have been voiced on whether the Denver Broncos overpaid Dre Greenlaw. This answers them.

November 27, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

As the first wave of free agency ends, we're getting more details about the contracts that players signed, including the Denver Broncos, who made several notable signings.

One of those notable players is inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million contract with $11.5 million fully guaranteed.

Let's examine the details of the contract, per Over The Cap, to see how the Broncos did here.

Contract Details

• 2025: $6.5M signing bonus (fully guaranteed), $3.47M base salary (fully guaranteed), $1.53M per-game roster bonus (fully guaranteed).
• 2026: $7.474M base salary, with $2M becoming fully guaranteed if on the roster on March 18, 2026, $1.53M per-game roster bonus.
• 2027: $9.47M base salary, $1.53M roster bonus.

Cap Charges

• 2025: $5.816M
• 2026: $11.166M
• 2027: $13.166M

What happens next on the Broncos beat? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Gut Reaction

The Broncos have a unique structure to this contract, in that more than $1M of Greenlaw's money each season is tied to a per-game roster bonus. That money, unless fully guaranteed, is only paid if he's on the active roster each week. If he's inactive for a game, he will not be paid that bonus for that particular game.

Furthermore, the Broncos did a lot to minimize risk in future seasons. While the Broncos are on the hook for 2025, they could get out of the deal in 2026 if Greenlaw doesn't live up to expectations. The $2M does come with injury protection, but the Broncos could still avoid about $6M in additional money by cutting him.

Thus, the Broncos gave Greenlaw a contract that will be evaluated on a year-to-year basis. If he plays well, he'll stick around, but if he doesn't, the Broncos have the ability to move on without much trouble.

On the surface, it appeared the Broncos might have gone a bit high for Greenlaw. But the details matter — and those details show that the Broncos did such a good job with the contract, it could become a bargain if Greenlaw stays healthy and performs at a high level.

Contract Grade

A-

---

Follow Denver Broncos On SI/Mile High Huddle on Instagram, X, and Facebook and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!