AFC Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos GM John Elway said they “never got close” to finalizing an extension with S Justin Simmons, but offered him a “very, very fair” deal.  

“No, I don’t think we ever really got close. We made an offer we thought was very, very fair but we never got close,” said Elway, via Mike Klis.

Elway added that the “uncertainty” of the 2021 salary cap made the Broncos uncomfortable about committing a lot of guaranteed money toward Simmons. 

“Then as time went on the uncertainty of where cap was going we just didn’t feel the uncertainty of where the cap was going we just didn’t feel comfortable going forward with a lot of guarantees,” said Elway, via Klis. “Hopefully, we can get a deal. We’d love to keep Justin here as a Bronco for a long time. Our hope is to get something done next year.”

Chargers

• Daniel Popper of The Athletic notes that Chargers DE Joey Bosa showed up for virus testing and was the last player to report to training camp prior to finalizing his five-year, $135 million extension. 
• Bosa was entering the final year of his rookie contract under the fifth-year option. Under the new CBA agreement for 2020, players who missed the start of camp would not accrue a season toward free agency. 

Raiders

• Adam Caplan reports Raiders’ third-round WR Bryan Edwards has fully recovered the broken foot that he suffered in February while training for the NFL Combine and “could start” by 2021.
• Per the Athletic’s Mike Sando, a number of NFL evaluators don’t think Raiders QB Derek Carr will make it through the whole season as the starter. 
• The Raiders signed QB Marcus Mariota to potentially step in. A defensive coordinator noted Carr’s game falls apart when the conditions aren’t optimal: “When things are going well, you can see the ability Carr has, but he is a dude who when he gets hit, his whole game changes.”
• However, Raiders HC Jon Gruden is excited about returning 10 starters on offense and adding an influx of talent in the draft: “I was very excited about our offense last year. I was very proud of what these guys did, so if we can come back healthy and throw in a little (first-round WR) Henry Ruggs, maybe a little Bryan Edwards and, who knows, a little (third-round RB) Lynn Bowden, we’ll see.” (Vic Tafur)
• Las Vegas also made big changes on defense, specifically at linebacker, signing Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski in free agency: “It’s an area we needed to improve. We think Littleton is a special player, and Kwiatkoski gets to run the band and be the lead singer. He’ll make the calls and make the adjustments. We think it’s his time.”
• Gruden also said the team hasn’t soured on first-round DE Clelin Ferrell even after he struggled some as a rookie and was lapped in sacks by fellow rookie DE Maxx Crosby, who had 10 sacks to Ferrell’s 4.5:  “We’re not going to measure everything he does in sacks … unfortunately, that’s what it takes to be a Pro Bowl player, double-digit sacks. He can stuff the run and we think he has the versatility to go inside; he’s a great kid and he is going to be a great player for a long time.”