Mark Barron's Contract with Broncos is One-Year Deal Worth Up To $2.5M, per Report
The Denver Broncos are still getting to know their new linebacker Mark Barron. In the wake of multiple injuries to the team's linebacker corps, Barron was signed on Sunday to a one-year deal.
He participated in his first practice as a Bronco on Monday and followed that up on Tuesday. Barron will wear the No. 42, at least for now.
We knew it was a one-year deal for Barron but until today, we didn't have any insight into what the value of the deal was. Thanks to The Denver Post's Ryan O'Halloran, that mystery has been solved.
"Per source, contract for new Broncos ILB Mark Barron -- one-year, $2.5 million ($1 million guaranteed)," O'Halloran tweeted on Tuesday.
No matter what, even if the Broncos were to cut Barron, he's going to get $1M. But if he hits all of his play-time incentives and escalators, he could earn up to $2.5M in 2020.
For an 11th-hour signing, it's about what I would expect to see for a ninth-year linebacker still close to 30 with as much playing time and NFL experience as Barron has. Perhaps there were other suitors for his services, perhaps not. Barron explained on Monday why he 'chose' the Broncos.
“With all of the situations that were presented to me, this just ended up being the best one," Barron said. "I felt like it was the best fit with everything that was in place already and with the coaching staff. Simply to put it, I felt like it was the best fit for me.”
Whether Barron is a fit for the Broncos' defense, head coach Vic Fangio isn't sure yet, or at least, he wasn't on Monday. The impetus for the Barron addition came more from GM John Elway than it did Fangio, reading between the lines of what the head coach said.
“We’re going to find out," Fangio said. "It was—John [Elway] wanted to be proactive with that in light of us losing [LB Justin] Strnad and [ILB] Todd [Davis] with his calf injury. We were getting a little thin there. He’s obviously been a good player in the league. He’s a guy that we’ll see how he can fit in. He’s obviously got a lot to learn in a short period of time, but we’ll see.”
For his part, Barron hopes to fit in where he can get it and answer whatever bell the coaches toll. He believes his experience as an NFL safety can help the Broncos' coverage woes against tight ends especially.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say I expect to have any role," Barron said. "Obviously, I’m going to go what they ask me to do. I would assume that they want me to help in some coverage aspects as far as covering tight ends and running backs. I’m taking this thing a day at a time. I have a whole defensive playbook to learn. It’s a lot.”
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHudde.
