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The team hit the hardest by NFL free agency this year has been the Denver Broncos, so an extra $12 million in cap space could prove invaluable to John Elway as he tries to retain some of the Super Bowl champion players about to hit the open market.
According to NFL Media's Rand Getlin, the cap should jump from $143 million to $155 million for 2016.
I'm told the NFL's salary cap is expected to jump to at least $155M this year. Nearly $12M more than last year's ($143.28M).
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) February 15, 2016
With Peyton Manning either retiring or getting straight cut from the roster, Broncos could see their cap number jump from a little over $12 million to $32 million according to Over The Cap. That will put Elway right around the Top 12 in the NFL in cap space heading into the 2016 offseason.
He will need every bit of that as Von Miller will need a mega deal of his own, but also star defenders Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan are looking to be paid as well. Couple that with the need for a quarterback with Brock Osweiler and you will see that cap space quickly evaporate.
The next six weeks could make or break the Broncos 2016 run.