For the Denver Broncos, on a basic level, it was never about becoming an appealing destination for free agents. Denver never stopped being a cool place to live. Broncos fans never stopped being great. Ownership never stopped having boatloads of cash.
The problem has been, at a most basic level, what was happening on the field. The Broncos have been terrible for the last decade. Now they’re not, and that opens up a whole new window into what could be a great coming decade for the franchise, where rookie quarterback Bo Nix and head coach Sean Payton have the team on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.
Part of that awakening means going out and finding big-time pass catcher for Nix to throw the ball to alongside stars like Courtland Sutton and up-and-coming young players like Devaughn Vele and Marvin Mims.
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon put Denver at the top of his list of “Underrated Landing Spots for Top 2025 NFL Free Agent Skill Players” on December 28 and listed four star wide receivers as possible targets for the Broncos to sign in free agency.
“… the Broncos have seemingly found the answer at quarterback with Bo Nix,” Kenyon wrote. “His debut campaign has been highly promising, and taking advantage of having a QB on a rookie deal is critical. Other than Courtland Sutton, though, who’s catching the ball? Devaughn Vele and Marvin Mims Jr. might both finish below 500 receiving yards. There is plenty of reason for Denver to get aggressive for a high-end receiver like Stefon Diggs, Tee Higgins, Amari Cooper or Chris Godwin.”
Of those 4 players, Higgins and Godwin are likely out of the Broncos’ price range and Diggs is coming off a major knee injury — which makes Cooper is likely the best target for the Broncos.
Cooper Part of Midseason Trade to Title Contender
While Cooper is 30 years old, it’s worth pointing out that his 2024 stats probably aren’t the best way to gauge what he has left in the tank — he was part of a midseason trade from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Bills and has been slow to adjust to his new team.
Through 13 games, Cooper has career lows in receptions (41), receiving yards (491) and touchdowns (3) but in all reality he’s been brought in to make an impact in the playoffs more than anything else.
In 5 of the previous 6 seasons Cooper has over 1,000 receiving yards, including back-to-back years with the Browns in 2022 and 2023. Cooper is also a 5-time Pro Bowler.
“Cooper playing to the level that he’s capable of could take the offense to the next level,” Sports Illustrated’s Evan Massey wrote on December 22. “That is what he was acquired to do. At 30 years old, perhaps age is starting to catch up with Cooper. He hasn’t been able to get the kind of separation that he usually gets. Cooper also hasn’t been able to take the top off of defenses.”
Gauging How Much Cooper Might Cost Broncos
Cooper was once one of the NFL’s highest paid players after he signed a 5-year, $100 million contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys in March 2020, but he’s now in the final year of that deal.
Spotrac projects Cooper’s market value in the range of a 2-year, $29.4 million contract, which might be a tad high considering how Cooper has played this year, although a few good playoff performances might change that.
Were things to hold, the Broncos might try to start with a 2-year, $26 million offer or even see if Cooper might be amenable to a 1-year contract in the range of $10 million to $15 million.
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