Broncos may covet Mosley, but can Denver afford the star linebacker?

Mar 5, 2019, 3:03 PM Updated: Mar 6, 2019, 8:05 am

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With reports on Tuesday indicating the Baltimore Ravens wouldn’t franchise tag inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, ears and eyebrows all along Broncos Country perked up about the prospects of bringing him to Denver.

“That’s a bad boy,” said “Stokley and Zach” co-host Zach Bye.

Bye’s co-host Brandon Stokley said the Broncos certainly could use an “upgrade” at the inside linebacker position, and a splashy move like getting Mosley in his prime would signify Denver’s in “win-now mode.”

But can Denver afford to reel in the prized free agent?

“You’re going to have to pay,” Stokley said.

It’s not unreasonable that Mosley could command a salary on-par or exceeding that of Carolina Panthers star Luke Kuechly, said “Pritchard and Cecil” co-host Mike Pritchard, who is making an average of $12.36 million per season.

“It’s not like I’m C.J. Mosley and I’m going to be like, ‘Yeah, give me the 10th-highest paid linebacker pay and I’ll take that.’ Why would you do that? You might as well sign with Baltimore,” Pritchard said. “The free agent market is about you, finding out what value you have, what a team is willing to pay for you.

“So, if Luke Kuechly has the highest number, then as a player I’m going after the highest number, especially if I’m coveted or I’m sought after at that position.”

And because of Denver’s limitations on spending this offseason, Stokley thinks the Broncos may have to turn to second- or third-tier players and the NFL Draft to fill positions of need.

“How can you compete with the Colts, with the Browns, with the 49ers, all these teams that have a ton of money to spend? You can’t compete,” Stokley said. “They’re all going to want these guys also, and that’s a problem. So, you can’t just go all-in with one guy and then not doing anything else.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.