By one measure, Broncos now have NFL’s most expensive offensive line

If you follow the money, you can follow it to Sean Payton’s plan for rebuilding the Denver Broncos offense: by fortifying it up front.

The contract the Broncos gave Quinn Meinerz gives Denver the NFL’s most-expensive starting offensive line in terms of potential dollars on contracts, and the third-priciest in terms of guaranteed money.

If the Broncos’ projected five starting offensive linemen — left tackle Garett Bolles, left guard Ben Powers, center Luke Wattenberg (although he is in a three-way battle), right guard Quinn Meinerz and right tackle Mike McGlinchey — play out the value of their deals, they will account for $294,523,874, according to figures compiled via Spotrac.com. This includes the figure on the final year of Meinerz’s rookie contract, which ends after this season.

That is nearly $16 million clear of No. 2 Carolina’s projected starting offensive line, at $278.06 million. It’s also more than two times the league average for projected starting offensive lines per Spotrac data: $140.36 million.

In terms of guaranteed money, the Broncos are on the hook for $164.29 million to these four players. Only Carolina and Detroit have more guaranteed money locked up in their offensive lines. Both spent freely in recent months, with the Lions lavishing an $85 million guarantee on tackle Penei Sewell and the Panthers handing out $89 million in guarantees to guards Robert Hunt ($89 million) and Damien Lewis ($26.215 million).

The league average for guarantees to a starting offensive line: $86.44 million. Denver surpasses this by a whopping $77.85 million.

Further, when it comes to spreading the wealth, the Broncos sit atop the heap. Denver is the only NFL team with four different offensive linemen boasting guarantees of at least $27 million:

• Powers: $28.5 million (signed in 2023)
• Bolles: $38 million (signed in 2020)
• Meinerz: $45 million (signed in 2024)
• McGlinchey: $52.5 million (signed in 2023)

That Meinerz’s guarantee trails McGlinchey shows that guards haven’t yet caught up to tackles in terms of the top-line contracts. But they’re nudging closer, as Meinerz became the third $20-million-per-year guard in NFL history.

Not bad for a Division III prospect who didn’t play a down of football during his senior season due to COVID-19 delaying the season until the spring, by which point Meinerz was a surging draft prospect after overpowering defensive linemen during a stellar Senior Bowl week.

The Broncos thought enough of Meinerz to sign him to an extension at an earlier point than any draft pick in the modern (post-2011) era of contract structures. Waiting might have cost them cap space, perhaps surging his guarantee past even that of McGlinchey.

And it’s not a coincidence that of the four contracts given out by Payton that exceeded $15 million in guaranteed money, three of them went to offensive linemen. The other went to defensive end Zach Allen, another player who operates in the trenches.

This rebuild is going to be from the inside out.

THE BRONCOS HAVE THIS EXPENSIVE LINE DESPITE GOING COST-CONSCIOUS AT CENTER

In March, the Broncos let Lloyd Cushenberry III walk in free agency to Tennessee. Had the Broncos found a way to bring Cushenberry back on the terms that he received from the Titans, Denver would have sported an entire offensive line of players whose guaranteed money exceeded $27 million.

This is happening despite navigating around the $85 million crater in the salary cap created by the March release of Russell Wilson. For planning purposes, a cost-controlled quarterback helps make this possible; if Bo Nix can be the Broncos’ answer for the next five years, they will pay a relative pittance on his contract — an average of $4.65 million per year.

All of Nix’s salary is fully guaranteed, but even so, that will put him $9.887 million shy of Ben Powers’ guarantee — which is the smallest among the four Broncos O-linemen in the massive-guarantee club.

Now, the Broncos’ contract landscape could look different up front one year from now. Garett Bolles’ contract expires after this season. The 8-year veteran had one of his better campaigns last year, and recent history has demonstrated that some tackles can remain effective deep into their 30s, with Andrew Whitworth and Trent Williams serving as illustrative examples.

There is also ample value to keeping the Broncos’ offensive line together. Powers is under contract through three more years — although there are two void years after that, created for salary-cap relief. McGlinchey has another four seasons, with a void year in 2028. And now Meinerz is locked up through 2027.

Offensive-line coach Zach Strief noted during minicamp that the progress in the veterans from year to year in the scheme is palpable.

“And so, they’re playing better as a unit,” Strief said. “The system is showing up right now.”

And that will only get better the longer a quintet can stay together.

“Nobody gets this kind of time, but it’s three years before you have a full group that knows exactly how they want to handle everything and when you can maximize those guys’ potential,” Strief said.

For the entire line, save for the center, it’s Year Two — and there’s continuity that hasn’t been the norm in Broncos Country for a while.

“We changed a lot of stuff and how they did it in their previous places. They learned it last year, and now they’re starting to master it,” Strief said.

“You’re starting to see it show up with some confidence and they’re buying into it because they’ve done it and it’s worked and now they believe in it. That’s a big thing for offensive linemen.

“So, I think the jump in year two can be tremendous. And again, I think there’s going to still be room for growth at the end of it.”

And with that growth, the Broncos have a chance to possess a top-tier offensive line. Yes, it would be at a premium price. But there’s something to be said about getting what you pay for.

And if they can have that up front, Nix and the ballcarriers and receiving targets will benefit.

Related

Broncos may have their new interior pass-rush specialist already set to goDover and Cecil project a monster year for Bo Nix in 2026Broncos No. 31 in the NFL in ESPN’s under-25 Power RankingsThere’s one thing standing between the Broncos and a Super BowlBroncos Country should be careful when wishing for more downfield passesBroncos’ Robinson ‘looks like a future starter,’ so, can they get him more reps?