Broncos releasing former Cowboys LB Randy Gregory after signing him to 5-year, $70M contract last year

After inking Randy Gregory to a long-term deal last offseason, the Broncos have made a shocking decision regarding his future.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Denver is releasing the star pass rusher, just a little while into his original contract. He’s hitting the open market.

The #Broncos are releasing DE Randy Gregory, who they signed to a 5-year, $70M contract last offseason, per @AdamSchefter. He played in just 10 games for Denver,” tweeted Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. “Last year, Randy Gregory initially agreed to return to the Cowboys on a 5-year, $70 million contract, but eventually changed his mind and joined the Broncos on a similar contract with some modifications in the language. Now he’s out in Denver … and back available.”

Moreover, Schefter confirmed that Denver is looking to focus more on their younger talent, so they’re giving Gregory the opportunity to explore the market and showcase his talents elsewhere.

Perhaps a return to Dallas is in the cards for Gregory, but one has to wonder if it’s worth it for the Cowboys, as their defense has been tremendous, even without the star pass rusher. Nevertheless, you can never have too many options when it comes to getting inside an opposing quarterback’s head.

That’s why Gregory will likely be a hot commodity on the free agent market. While it never worked out for him in Denver, the talent is evident. He’ll make one team’s defensive line that much better when he signs.

As for the Broncos, Gregory likely would’ve remained in Denver if they didn’t get off to such a putrid start to the season. While they had dreams of making the playoffs entering 2023, it’s becoming more and more clear that this team has more questions than answers, and it doesn’t make much sense to contribute such a high contract to a player like Gregory at the moment.

Now, Sean Payton and company will have a chance to see which defensive players are going to be major factors moving forward, or if Denver will have to address the position in the near future. Regardless, it’s a move the Broncos felt they had to make.

Randy Gregory can still get the job done at the NFL level, and he’ll have no shortage of suitors in the coming days. It’ll be fascinating to see which team lands his services, and the contract he signs with them when it all comes together.