Broncos & Malik Jackson Still “Far Apart” In Contract Talks, DEN Has Offered Around $12M Per

Mike Klis of 9News reports that the Broncos and free agent DL Malik Jackson are still “far apart” in contract talks as of Sunday.

According to Klis, the Broncos have made Jackson a strong offer of nearly $12 million per year in a new contract.

However, Klis writes that a strong case can be made that Jackson could be worth over $15 million per year on the open market, as this happens to be the going rate for elite defensive linemen.

Of course, Denver still needs to determine what they’ll do with OLB Von Miller and QB Brock Osweiler, who are both in line to be unrestricted free agents in the coming weeks.

If they can get a long-term deal done with Miller, the possibility exists that the Broncos could franchise Jackson at $14.129 million for the 2016, which would buy them more time to work on an extension.

Jackson, 26, is a former fifth-round pick of the Broncos back in 2012. He’s played out his four-year, $2,313,612 rookie contract and is in line to be one of the most sought after free agents in this year’s market.

In 2015, Jackson appeared in all 16 games for the Broncos and recorded 46 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, seven pass defenses and a safety. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 9 defensive end in a 3-4 defense out of 57 qualifying players.

We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2016 Free Agents list.