It was reported a few days ago by Pro Football Network’s Benjamin Allbright that defensive end Derek Wolfe’s agent is working on lining up meetings with the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals. New England Patriots, and the Baltimore Ravens.
From @AllbrightNFL and @thepick6com: The agent for Denver Broncos DE Derek Wolfe is working on lining up meetings with the Cardinals, Patriots, Bengals, and Ravens.
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) February 28, 2020
More news and rumors in our Free Agency Tracker: https://t.co/8TKkgaSafO pic.twitter.com/Tl488iWZsh
Many have assumed(myself included) that Wolfe re-signing with the Denver Broncos is a bit of a lock at happening. They’re going to lose Shelby Harris to free agency(likely to the Colts) and are allowing Adam Gotsis to leave as well. Losing Wolfe, a third defensive end in one offseason would be a tough pill to swallow. Add in he is a longtime veteran who took less to re-sign with the Broncos his first-time around and you can understand why many believe this line of thinking it true. However, reports are indicating that Wolfe is keeping his options open and his agent is even lining up potential free agent visits for Wolfe.
Those four teams once again being the Arizona Cardinals, the Cincinnati Bengals, the New England Patriots, and the Baltimore Ravens.
All four teams make sense for differing reasons. Vance Joseph, Wolfe’s former Head Coach for two seasons is now the defensive coordinator in Arizona and could step right in and know his system for an ascending Cardinals team. The Bengals might not be great, but Wolfe is from Ohio and played his college ball at Cincinnati so could he finish his career in his hometown/state? Finally, you have the Ravens and Patriots who both are always in the market for a big defensive end who can stop the run and rush the passer. Both are contenders too and can provide Wolfe with another chance at getting a ring.
Denver Channel’s 7 Troy Renck confirmed Allbright’s report about the Cardinals and also said that Wolfe is keeping his options open. However, he also indicated that Wolfe would like to finish his career with the Denver Broncos. Now, will John Elway and the Broncos decide to do that or pay him enough to keep him Denver? That’s the big question.
#Broncos @Derek_Wolfe95 has interest from other teams after posting a career-high 7 sacks in 12 games. Arizona is one team that's been connected to him. There will be more. Wolfe has made clear he wants to retire a Bronco, but he's keeping an open mind to everything. #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/KxkJnJIsbc
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) March 3, 2020
I can see why the Broncos would want to keep Wolfe and why they would not want to keep Wolfe as well.
I already briefly mentioned the why they should keep him. He is a productive veteran who is beloved by his teammates and wants to finish his career in Denver. You’re also losing Shelby Harris and Adam Gotsis at the defensive end position so losing a third player, a second starter at that group would be tough even with the Broncos excess in cap space. So it makes sense to have him comeback on a shorter deal and have him finish his career with the Broncos. He’s also coming off a 7 sack performance(a career high) in 12 games for Vic Fangio’s defense last season so letting that productivity leave wouldn’t be very smart.
So why shouldn’t they? Well, he just turned 30 years old and has a lengthy injury history. He has only played 16 games three times during his nine-year career in the NFL. However, he has play no less than 11 games in a season so he has shown toughness there. Do you give Wolfe the guaranteed money he may be seeking(not sure of that amount) to a player on the wrong-side of 30 who plays in the trenches with that sort of injury history? It could be a risky move for the Broncos who may need to protect themselves in a contract.
In the end, I think Wolfe will be back. He has never been a free agent so it makes sense for him to test the market and see what is out there. Another team might offer him more or be a better fit for him at this stage of his career. Wolfe has earned this right and I think he should explore what is out there. I think both sides will want to make this work and will make it work.