NEW ORLEANS \u2014 John Franklin-Myers may not be thrilled, but he\u2019s ready for regular-season football.<\/p>\n
The Broncos defensive tackle is entering the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract he signed after getting traded to Denver last spring.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been little sign of movement toward a deal, and sources told The Denver Post the sides did not negotiate this summer. That stands in contrast to veterans Courtland Sutton (four years, $92 million)<\/a> and Zach Allen (four years, $102 million)<\/a>, who landed major long-term agreements. Fourth-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto doesn\u2019t have a new deal yet, but he said recently his team and the Broncos have had productive talks and that he thinks a deal \u201cwill get done.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Not so for Franklin-Myers, though he said any feelings he may have about his current status are now sidelined for the next several months.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all just want to feel wanted, and I think when it\u2019s time to play football, obviously money and stuff aside, I\u2019m under contract,\u201d Franklin-Myers said after Denver\u2019s preseason finale. \u201cSo football is football. Obviously, we all want what we\u2019re worth, but until then, shoot, I\u2019m going to play football. It is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Franklin-Myers\u2019 addition last year helped turn what was one of the NFL\u2019s worst defensive fronts in 2023 into one of its best in 2024. His ability to rush the passer not only gave offenses fits, but it also kept them from being able to turn double teams toward Allen on a regular basis.<\/p>\n Allen broke out with an 8.5-sack season and led all NFL defensive tackles with 67 pressures and 40 hits.<\/p>\n \u201cZach\u2019s my dawg. I said it from the jump,\u201d Franklin-Myers said. \u201cMan, (Jets defensive lineman) Quinnen Williams was a good friend of mine, played with him for a long time, and I was happier when he got paid than when I got paid. Zach Allen is no different. You talk about somebody who shows up every day. He earned the money.<\/p>\n \u201cHe makes me better, makes the team better. He deserves his money. I\u2019m all for it, and Zach deserves all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach appear poised to enter Week 1 without contractual security beyond this year. Roach laid out a straightforward approach earlier in camp in saying that if everybody plays well, everybody\u2019s going to get paid. It\u2019s just a matter of whether that\u2019s in Denver or elsewhere.<\/p>\n In the meantime, the defensive line has big goals.<\/p>\n \u201cWe lost in the playoffs (last year) and my ultimate goal is to help this team win the Super Bowl,\u201d Franklin-Myers said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ll continue to do this year.\u201d<\/p>\n In the process, the veteran defensive lineman can make himself a lot of money. He logged a career-best seven sacks last year and notched 40-plus pressures for the fifth straight season. His 12.6% pressure rate was just a tick off his career-high of 12.7% the year prior for the Jets, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.<\/p>\n \u201cMuch like anything, you\u2019re only as strong as the weakest link,\u201d Franklin-Myers said. \u201cWe pride ourselves on not exactly having a weakest link. We understand it\u2019s a business more than anything, and all the theatrics don\u2019t matter to me. I\u2019m here to play football whether they pay me or not. If not, then I\u2019ll be a free agent this offseason, and my time is going to come.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether it\u2019s this year or next year or in five years, my time is going to come.\u201d<\/p>\n