Brandon Jones is cashing in.
The 25-year-old safety is reportedly leaving the Miami Dolphins for the Denver Broncos, and the price tag is huge.
Bleacher Report details that Jones plans to sign a three-year, $20 million contract with the Broncos once the league year turns over on Wednesday. The contract, which includes $12.5 million guaranteed, has an upside of $22.5 million. That’s a staggering sum for a box safety who has three interceptions and 30 starts in his four-year career.
What Brandon Jones’ Deal With Broncos Means for Dolphins
Jones wasn’t even a starter for the Dolphins in 2023 until injuries shuffled Miami’s plans. He was solid in coverage, holding opposing passers to 8.3 yards per attempt and a 75.3 passer rating against on the season. The 2020 third-round pick has recorded over 200 tackles and eight sacks in his four-year career.
With Jones and Xavien Howard gone and DeShon Elliott free to talk to any team, change is seemingly to the Dolphins’ secondary in 2024. Safety options in free agency include Xavier McKinney (New York Giants), Kamren Curl (Washington Commanders), Justin Simmons (Denver Broncos), and Quandre Diggs (Seattle Seahawks).
Jones’ signing with the Broncos doesn’t help Miami, either. With more dependable safeties with better numbers still available, the Dolphins will be expected to dish out plenty of money at the position going into 2024.
Top players like McKinney, Curl, and Simmons could very well be heading to organizations that have more cap space than the Dolphins, who are $23 million over the cap.
Miami is expected to have the least amount of cap space of any organization in the NFL to this point, with long-term extension talks upcoming with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
What It Means for Broncos
Denver locking up a box safety — albeit a 25-year-old — comes as a surprise to some based on the recent trajectory of their roster. The Broncos traded wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns over the weekend and released star safety Justin Simmons last week.
With the Broncos appearing to look at a full-blown rebuild, a three-year contract for a box safety comes as a surprise to some. Denver entered free agency with around $25 million cap space and enough flexibility to move on from some of their long-term players.
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Bringing in Jones will make some believe that head coach Sean Payton is looking for players that better fit his overall scheme while providing leadership to a team in transition.
Whatever the reason, the Dolphins now must address another need in the secondary while the Broncos have gotten younger in the back end.
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