The Denver Broncos came to an agreement on a contract restructure with pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. Ware signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Broncos that included $20 million guaranteed back in 2014. That was despite him slowing down and being over the age of 30, but Ware has been an integral part of Denver's defense since signing.
DeMarcus Ware reportedly restructures contract with Broncos
Ware will stay with the team and his cap hit will be reduced.
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Still, his base salary was set to be $7 million and he had a cap hit of just over $11.6 million for 2016, a difficult number for the Broncos to work with given the big money going to someone like Von Miller. The team’s top pass-rushing specialist, Miller is in on most defensive snaps, while Ware has settled into a role as a third-down rusher.
It’s unclear how much the Broncos saved exactly, but they have been working on a restructure for some time now.
Miller himself benefits from Ware's play, as both men command double teams when they're going after the passer. Having Ware on the field makes Miller that much scarier. The Broncos used the franchise tag on Miller this offseason, and being able to retain Ware at a reasonable cap number is great news given they have lost both Malik Jackson, a defensive lineman, and Danny Trevathan, and inside linebacker and a huge part of the team's front seven.
Last season, Ware played in 11 games and had 25 combined tackles, 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He had 10 sacks in his first year with the Broncos. The nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro will turn 34 years old before the 2016 season gets under way.
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