The Denver Broncos weren't expected to pay defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers what he was asking for, but the Tennessee Titans were willing to surpass $20 million AAV for his services.
While other teams in the American Football Conference West division are getting better on the first day of the “legal tampering” period in free agency, the Denver Broncos have gotten worse.
Former Broncos defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers is in agreement with the Tennessee Titans on a three-year, $63 million deal with $42 million fully guaranteed, per The Insiders (NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero).
It was reported that Franklin-Myers was expected to command a contract that was in the $20 million average annual value territory and he lands a deal with a hungry Titans team at $21 million per year.
This is a tough but expected blow for the Broncos, as the organization wasn’t believed to be willing to meet Franklin-Myers’ high demands. Denver does have depth on its defensive line, so it is prepared for this, but it’s not going to be easy replacing Franklin-Myers’ high impact role.
Franklin-Myers is coming off his second dominant season with the Broncos, a year in which he played 16 games and logged 15 quarterback hits and 7.5 sacks with 25 total tackles and six tackles for loss. He was a force for a dominant Broncos front that led the National Football League in sacks (68) by a wide margin.
Franklin-Myers was arguably better in his first season with Denver two years ago, when he played every game. That season, he racked up seven sacks, 40 total tackles, 18 QB hits and eight tackles for loss.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell had a feeling that Franklin-Myers was on his way to Tennessee after the team traded defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets last week.
“He will not be the focal point of your defensive line, but Franklin-Myers is an underrated interior rusher, overwhelming guards when he's given one-on-one opportunities,” Barnwell wrote last Monday. “The Sweat trade might have opened an opportunity for him on the interior with the Titans.”
This offseason hasn’t been a total disaster for the Broncos, as the team announced that it was re-signed linebacker Justin Strnad to a three-year, $19.5 million deal on Sunday. The Broncos’ defense has been one of the most elite defenses over the past few seasons, so while losing Franklin-Myers hurts the interior, it’s not the end of the world for a team that just went 14-3 and was a couple field goals away from advancing to the Super Bowl.
Still, Broncos fans have enjoyed his presence and ability to get to the quarterback. He was 18th out of 225 defensive tackles with 39 pressures to go along with his sacks and QB hits.
Denver will try to have another deep playoff run in 2026, but it will be without Franklin-Myers.