Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) celebrates a sack during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos were always viewed as the clear favorites to sign former Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, and they signed him today on a free agent visit and gave him $30 million over three seasons. That’s a huge amount of money, and it’s clear that the Broncos are all-in when looking at the contracts they have given to Aqib Talib and Ware (the T.J. Ward deal was cheaper than I expected) in order to stack up their defense in their quest for a Super Bowl championship.
But Ware wasn’t the only veteran pass rusher that the Broncos had interest in, as the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Broncos had a three-year, $30 million deal on the table for former Minnesota Vikings star Jared Allen. There was mutual interest between both parties for quite some time, as the Broncos were obviously looking for another pass rusher and Allen was looking to sign with a contender willing to compensate him fairly. $30 million over three seasons? Let’s just say that that’s more than fair for a player who is still solid but declining and clearly not worth that kind of money.
It’s concerning to see the Broncos so willing to throw caution to the wind and try to sign veteran players on hefty deals, and Rapoport reports that Allen would have unsurprisingly jumped at that deal. Unfortunately for him, Ware responded to the offer first, and he’s the one who gets to help the Broncos win it all this year. He’s also the better player in my book, so the Broncos won’t worry about Allen any time soon. Allen should still have a few other suitors, and I think the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are worth watching for closely.