NFL Notes: Broncos, Cardinals, Jets & Panthers

Broncos

• Jeff Legwold notes that the Broncos had the option to enact a clause in WR Demaryius Thomas‘ contract that would have created $9.18 million in cap space by converting some of his base salary into a signing bonus.
• However, Denver decided not to engage the clause because they were already capable of signing OLB Von Miller without the added cap space.

Cardinals

• Darren Urban of Cardinals’ official site would be “stunned” if Arizona is unable to work out a long-term extension with DB Tyrann Mathieu, who is entering a contract year.

Jets

• Dan Graziano mentions the Jets can now feasibly offer QB Ryan Fitzpatrick a one-year contract, since they saved $5.701 million in cap through Muhammad Wilkerson‘s extension.

Panthers

• Although Bryan Strickland of the Panthers’ official site expects Carolina to keep five defensive tackles on their final roster, he writes that Paul Soliai, Kyle Love and Chas Alecxih would compete for a final roster spot if the team decides to keep just four.