The Denver Broncos made their first major decision out of the season by releasing veteran cornerback AJ Bouye. Bouye had another year of contract with the Broncos and a base salary of $ 13 million in 2021.
Denver traded a choice of the fourth round of 2020 for the Jacksonville Jaguars for Bouye last March, as the Jaguars wanted to leave the remaining two years and $ 30,937,500 in their contract. Bouye was still one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the game at the time of the trade and did not have a strong first season in Denver, ending with just 23 tackles, six defending passes and zero interceptions in seven games. Opposing defenders had a 108.4 passer rating last season targeting Bouye, who allowed 65.7% of passes thrown in his direction to be caught and two touchdowns. He was also suspended for six games for violating the league’s PED policy.
That was coming out of a final year in Jacksonville, where Bouye ended up with 65 tackles, eight defending passes and an interception in 14 games. He also had difficulty covering, allowing 60 receptions for 855 yards and three touchdowns, as opposing defenders completed 65.2% of their passes and had 101.5 passes to attack Bouye.
For Over The Cap, the Broncos will save $ 13,218,750 by cutting Bouye – giving them $ 32.73 million in capitalization space available this off-season. The Broncos has a quarterback dilemma that it needs to resolve this offseason in relation to Drew Lock, as they have more than enough money to acquire a starting veteran through exchange or signal signals available at a free agency. There are a few solid defenders available in search of a starting job that can be obtained on a one-year contract: Mitchell Trubisky, Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brissett, Cam Newton, Jameis Winston and Tyrod Taylor are the notable names – but Carson Wentz and many other veterans are available via trade.
Denver has flexibility with the salary cap with the release of Bouye, who will give new general manager George Paton multiple options when the free agency starts in March.