The Denver Broncos are preparing to undergo way more offseason changes than they had originally planned. The team entered the season with plans of revenging their Super Bowl loss and things were going as planned until injuries took over the Broncos lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC divisional game. Now, the team has fired head coach John Fox while doubt begins to rise over the longevity of Peyton Manning's career. With several players needing new contracts, who will be the odd-man-out in Denver?
Wes Welker was the forgotten man this season. The wide receiver started the year off with a concussion and suspension while failing to truly make an impact upon his return. Emmanuel Sanders was finding himself as Manning's new favorite target while Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas continued their dominating ways. Welker did exactly perform up to par in his contract season which is why he is uncertain about a return in 2015.
When asked about coming back to Denver, Welker shrugged to the media and responded, "I don't know. There's a lot of things I need to figure out," via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Welker became the No. 4 option in Denver this season which could be a critical factor in whether or not he returns. The wide receiver had just 464 yards and two touchdowns in his worst season since 2005. That is going to hurt his value in free agency and also his contract demands. There is also of the number of concussions and injuries he has had in recent years. Factoring that with Welker's age does not help his future.
When the offseason begins, the Broncos will likely make Demaryius and Julius the priority in contract talks. Money left over could be considered for Welker, but the Broncos have other roster issues that need tending to first. The Broncos have a lot of mending to do this offseason and Welker will be encouraged to test the market before the Broncos think of making a run for him
The biggest issue for Denver at the moment is not their head coaching search, but the future of Manning. According to ESPN, the quarterback played with a torn quad muscle for the back half of the season as he failed to look like his elite self. Manning did not guarantee his return in 2015, which has plenty of eyebrows raised wondering if the quarterback is setting to retire. One person advocating his return is John Elway.
"I did have a great conversation with Peyton," Elway said, via the Denver Post. "The bottom line is we want him back and it's going to come down to what Peyton wants to do. I can't speak for Peyton, I don't want to speak for Peyton. That is something Peyton will have to deal with and as he goes through his decision that will be a part of it. I'm going to talk to Peyton as we go through the process."
