Grading Broncos RG Quinn Meinerz's Contract Extension After Details Emerge

Was this a smart move by the Denver Broncos?

Oct 23, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz (77) celebrates the touchdown of running back Latavius Murray (28) in the first quarter against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos have multiple players entering the final years of their contracts. One of those players was extended last week: offensive guard Quinn Meinerz.

The Broncos made Meinerz one of the highest-paid guards in the NFL, giving him a deal that averages $18 million per year and runs through 2028.

Let's review the details of the contract, courtesy of Over The Cap, and see how it measures up to other deals.

Contract Details

Summary: Four-year extension, $72M, $24M fully guaranteed, $45M total guaranteed.

Contract Breakdown

• 2024: $11.5M signing bonus, $1.055M base salary, all fully guaranteed

• 2025: $10.275M option bonus, $1.17M base salary, all fully guaranteed.

• 2026: $14.856M base salary, injury-only guaranteed, becomes fully guaranteed if on the roster the fifth day of the 2025 league year, plus a $510K per-game roster bonus.

• 2027: $17.49M base salary, of which $6.14M is injury-only guaranteed and becomes fully guaranteed if on the roster the fifth day of the 2027 league year, plus a $510K per-game roster bonus.

• 2028: $17.49M base salary plus a $510K per-game roster bonus.

• 2029: Void year for cap purposes.

Note: There are $8M in unspecified incentives available.

Cap charges: $3.57M for 2024, $5.525M for 2025, $19.72M for 2026, $22.355M for 2027, $22.355M for 2028, $2.055M dead money for 2029.

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Analysis

The Broncos structured this contract to ensure that Meinerz's cap charge for 2024 didn't increase, then included an option bonus to keep his cap charge small for 2025. The option bonus is treated like a signing bonus, though it required the Broncos to add a void year in 2029.

But Meinerz's bigger cap charges won't kick in until 2026, when the Broncos may be ready to part ways with some other players. By that point, they would be in position to cut Ben Powers or Mike McGlinchey.

Of course, it remains to be seen what happens with other players. One would expect that Patrick Surtain II will be extended either this or next season, plus it's possible Garett Bolles could be extended.

But the Broncos will avoid taking bigger cap charges for the first two years of this deal. The Broncos will be committed to Meinerz through 2026 from a practical standpoint but will have some flexibility to get out of the deal in 2027 and a lot of flexibility to do so in 2028.

From a cash flow standpoint, Meinerz will collect more than half of the contract value by 2026, but it's not exactly a "front-loaded" contract, in which he would collect two-thirds or more of the total value.

The unspecified incentives could give Meinerz a chance to raise the total contract value, but he didn't come close to re-setting the market for guards. Recent guard signings like Chris Lindstorm, Robert Hunt and Landon Dickerson all got bigger deals, relative to the market.

While the Broncos made a significant investment in Meinerz, they didn't set new highs in any aspect. That makes this a good deal overall for the Broncos, even as Meinerz got a significant raise.

Give George Paton credit: He did well with this contract — certainly a better job than the Carolina Panthers did with Robert Hunt, a guard who isn't as good as Meinerz.

“There were so many things that we felt strongly about," head coach Sean Payton said on Tuesday. "We are excited for him with his consistency and how he played at a position we value. It made sense for the player and the club. I missed his fashion statement, but I understand it was something else. (laughs) We’re excited we got that done.”

Grade: B+

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