Broncos Sign Champ Bailey To 4-Year Deal
DENVER (AP) - The Denver Broncos have signed Champ Bailey to a four-year deal, keeping the perennial Pro Bowl cornerback off the free agent market.
John Elway, the Broncos' chief of football operations, announced the move in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon.
"Champ is truly one of the NFL's elite players, a 10-time Pro Bowler who is playing at the absolute highest level," Elway wrote on Twitter. "The commitment and loyalty that Champ has shown to the Broncos, the city of Denver and this region is exemplary. We're fortunate to have Champ with the Broncos for a long time. This is a GREAT day for our entire organization and our fans."
Bailey, who turns 33 in June, just played in his 10th Pro Bowl, a record for cornerbacks.
His new deal is believed to be worth between $40 million and $44 million, less than the going rate of about $15 million per year for elite cornerbacks.
Although Bailey has long maintained he loved playing in Denver, it had begun to look like the Broncos would lose him this offseason.
The team had pulled a four-year offer off the table in October, concerned about his age and the league's labor uncertainty. But the Broncos reopened talks with his representatives this month.
Still, Bailey said he was putting his Littleton home up for sale, which many saw as a sign he wanted to test unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.
As the Broncos stumbled to a 4-12 finish, Bailey said winning was his top concern. He's been to the playoffs just three times in his dozen NFL seasons and has never made it to the Super Bowl. The Broncos are in full rebuilding mode with their third coach in less than three seasons in John Fox and a deficient defense that needs upgrades at nearly every position.
At the Pro Bowl last month, Bailey said he listened to several players making sales pitches about joining their teams next season. Among those hoping to lure him was Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. He said he was eager to see what teams had to offer once free agency began.
The Broncos chose not to use their franchise tag on Bailey because that would have cost them about $15 million in guaranteed salary next season.
Fox's massive makeover of Denver's defense will be much easier with Bailey as the cornerstone.
Bailey joined the Broncos in 2004 when former coach Mike Shanahan traded running back Clinton Portis to the Washington Redskins in a rare swap of blue chip talent.
Despite Bailey's presence, the Broncos have long been bad on defense as Shanahan and then Josh McDaniels focused more on the offensive side and annually changed defensive coordinators, who had to deconstruct schemes and implement new philosophies.
The Broncos ranked last in several defensive categories last season and Fox's deep defensive roots are part of what made him an attractive replacement for McDaniels. Fox hired New Orleans secondary coach Dennis Allen as his defensive coordinator, the team's sixth in six seasons.
- By Arnie Stapleton, AP Sports Writer
Read the news release from the Denver Broncos
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