NFL Free Agency Grades: Broncos get it wrong with Mike McGlinchey?

The Denver Broncos set out in the 2023 offseason to fix a longstanding issue in NFL Free Agency, and they paid a hefty price to do so. On the first day of the legal negotiating period, the Broncos agreed to a five-year deal with former San Francisco 49ers first-round pick Mike McGlinchey worth $87.5 million in total money and a whopping $50 million in total guarantees.

The question for the Broncos is — was that the right move to make? 

The Broncos’ deal for McGlinchey was the second-biggest in all of NFL Free Agency behind Derek Carr’s deal with the New Orleans Saints in terms of total money. In terms of guaranteed cash, it ranked third behind Carr and Jawaan Taylor of the Chiefs. Another fun fact — out of all the deals signed so far in NFL Free Agency, McGlinchey’s is the only five-year pact. Nobody else got longer than four years from any NFL team.

Did the Denver Broncos get it wrong with Mike McGlinchey?

As is typically the case with any move made in free agency — especially the biggest ones — the McGlinchey-to-Denver deal was met with plenty of mixed reactions. Some 49ers fans were happy to see McGlinchey go after his five years with the team, while Denver Broncos fans were obviously ecstatic to be making a bold move at the team’s biggest position of need outside of QB since Peyton Manning retired.

The question of whether or not they got this move right will not be answered until we see what McGlinchey can do in Sean Payton’s offense, where he will be coached by new offensive line coach Zach Strief (a former right tackle himself). McGlinchey is not some project at the position — he’s one of the league’s most well-paid players at the position. With that being said, the name of the game in free agency is typically overpaying guys.

Did the Broncos overpay McGlinchey based on his ability and pedigree? Perhaps, but again — that’s the name of the game in free agency. The price won’t matter if McGlinchey can provide above-average or even just average play at the position. The Broncos don’t need him to be Trent Williams or Lane Johnson — they simply need stability and they need McGlinchey to come in and do what he does best.

What he does best? Run blocking.

Although McGlinchey has been a mixed bag when it comes to pass protection, it’s worth noting that the 49ers were near the bottom of the league last season in sacks allowed, and it’s also worth noting that Sean Payton’s intentions for the Denver Broncos are to pound the ball on the ground.

Although McGlinchey is an established veteran at this point, it’s also not impossible that he can continue to hone his craft and get better as a pass protector. As we saw in 2022, he took a step forward there by some metrics, though he did have a career-high eight penalties including four holding calls. The Broncos will want to do all they can to minimize McGlinchey’s weaknesses in that area, but pressure off the edge wasn’t always this team’s problem in 2022. It was a lot of pressure up the middle that gave the Broncos fits regarding overall offensive inefficiency and sacks allowed (over 60).

This isn’t to say that every NFL team made the right decisions in free agency regardless of the price, but when you’re a bad team and you need help at specific positions, you are going to have to be the highest bidder. You may only be able to get average or above-average players for the price of a top-tier player. The good news is, over the lifespan of that kind of deal, the market value will change significantly and the deal will look better for the team.

Grade for Denver Broncos signing Mike McGlinchey in NFL Free Agency

Grade: B

I don’t think you can be too harsh on the Broncos for this move at all. Even if you don’t love McGlinchey, he was pretty clearly one of the top overall options at one of the Broncos’ top positions of need. He’s a younger player coming off of a rookie deal who has played in one of the best offenses in the league. The Broncos don’t have a first or second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, so they had to be aggressive in NFL Free Agency, and they were.

McGlinchey could provide stability for the team at a position that has been a revolving door for the Broncos and for that reason, I don’t think you can give this signing a grade below “B”.