General manager George Paton and the Denver Broncos can breath a little easier with their offseason program officially set to begin this week and one of their roster moves–cutting ties with Dre Greenlaw–paying off in potentially big ways.
Greenlaw lasted one injury-marred season in Denver.
This offseason, he returned to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, but it is the Broncos who got good news regarding Greenlaw with the turn of the calendar to June.
Dre Greenlaw Decision Pays Off for Broncos
GettyDre Greenlaw continues to speak candidly about his time with the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos signed Greenlaw to three-year, $31.5 million contract in free agency during the 2025 offseason. He played in eight games, starting seven of them. He finished with 43 combined tackes, 1.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception.
Greenlaw missed nine games; eight due to injuries and another due to a one-game suspension.
Denver released Greenlaw on March 9. He re-signed with the 49ers, with whom he began his pro career as a fifth-round pick in 2019, on a one-year, $6 million pact.
“With June 1 arriving, the #Broncos will officially gain $8.19 million in cap space for releasing Dre Greenlaw,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel reported on X on June 1. “They’ll carry $2.17 million in dead cap for 2026 and the remaining $2.17 million dead in 2027.”
“Per OvertheCap, Denver now sitting at $25.66 million in 2026 space.”
Gabriel noted the figure “accounts for all but Tyler Onyedim. But the #Broncos rookie class is only going to take up a total net of $1.31 million on the cap, so impact overall is negligible.”
According to Gabriel, signing Oyedim will reduce the Broncos’ cap space by less than $500,000. He is due a four-year, $7.4 million rookie-scale contract. That means the total value is locked in and all that remains is the structure.
The Broncos’ windfall from cutting ties with Greenlaw more than covers that.
Dre Greenlaw Compares 49ers to Broncos
GettyDre Greenlaw is happy to be back with the San Francisco 49ers after a year with the Denver Broncos.
Greenlaw has spoken candidly about his short-lived Broncos tenure. He notedhis love and appreciation for the organization, teammates, coaching staff, etc. Greenlaw also touched on the subject again during the 49ers’ recent organized team activities.
He reiterated that last season was difficult for him due his injures. Greenlaw chalked it up as “part of ball” and “part of life.”
Greenlaw said that it was a bit of forced introspection.
“Had to learn a lot about myself last year. And then, just take a step back, and I didn’t get a chance to play football a lot. So, I’m just grateful to be able to be healthy right now and play football. But you definitely have times where when things weren’t going good that you kind of felt like, ‘Damn!’ But like I said, I don’t think none of it was a mistake. I wouldn’t say I’d do it again, but I’d let it play out just the same,” Greenlaw told reporters on May 28.
“I’m just always thankful to be where my feet are. And there’s no telling where I’d be now if that things went the way it did last year [had not happened], and it gives you a different perspective on how much the building really means. How much the people inside the building means to you. How much that passion you play for isn’t just for the love of the game, but it’s for the love of the the building as well. So, it just gives you a lot of–a little bit of reality and just, ‘Okay, why do you play the game of football? ‘And, yeah.”
Greenlaw is happy to be back with the 49ers. The Broncos are hoping Justin Strnad, who filled in for Greenlaw last season, can do so again full-time alongside Alex Singleton in 2026.
Broncos Get Good News After Parting Ways With Outspoken Veteran