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EspañolThe Denver Broncos made their first restricted free agent decisions of the offseason last week.
First, the team placed a second-round tender on cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. The 25-year-old cornerback is now set to earn $5,811,000 on a one-year tender this fall.
Second, the Broncos informed running back Jaleel McLaughlin that he will not receive a tender, which means he'll become an unrestricted free agent when the NFL's new league year begins next week. The cheapest tender in 2026 is a right of first refusal, which would cost the team about $3.54 million. That's more than J.K. Dobbins made last year, so it's no surprise that Denver did not use it on McLaughlin.
Despite not using a tender, the Broncos are still interested in re-signing McLaughlin, according to multiple reports. It remains to be seen if McLaughlin will want to re-sign with Denver, but he's unlikely to earn $3.5 million from any team in 2026. The Broncos currently only have three running backs under contract for 2026: RJ Harvey, Cody Schrader and Deuce Vaughn.
As for McMillian, his agent told the Denver Gazette that the cornerback is excited to remain in Denver. Because another team would have to make an offer the Broncos would not match and then trade a second-round pick in order to poach McMillian, his agent expects the cornerback to remain in Denver for the 2026 season. Such a scenario is possible, but it's hard to imagine a team giving him a big contract and trading a second-round pick for McMillian.
So, it appears likely that McMillian will remain with the Broncos. McLaughlin's status is less clear, but the team will likely make him an offer. It remains to be seen how much interest the running back could draw from other clubs. The NFL's free agency negotiating window opens on March 9. The new league year — and official start of NFL free agency — opens on March 11.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos: Ja’Quan McMillian and Jaleel McLaughlin status updates