Denver Broncos trade linebacker Randy Gregory to San Francisco 49ers for picks

The Denver Broncos plan to part ways with linebacker Randy Gregory in an effort to focus on young players, general manager George Paton and the team confirmed on Friday.

After sources speculated the team was releasing the veteran, the Broncos ended up sending the linebacker and a seventh-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick for next year's draft. 

Denver will still pay Gregory roughly $10 million for the year after the trade. 

Gregory played 10 total games for the Broncos, recording 18 total tackles, eight solo, three sacks and one pass deflection for Denver. This year, he had nine tackles and one sack. 

A reported knee injury kept the veteran pass rusher limited to only six games last year. 

Denver trading Gregory comes just 18 months after he was signed on a five-year, $70 million contract that included a $14 million salary this season. 

Denver is now left with linebackers Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Thomas Incoom, Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell. The decision to cut Gregory was reportedly easy following a good performance from Bonitto who started against the Chicago Bears. Bonitto had a strip-sack on Justin Fields in the fourth quarter that led to Cooper's scoop-and-score for the game-tying touchdown in Denver's 31-28 comeback win over Chicago.

Before Gregory joined the Broncos, he was with the Dallas Cowboys from 2015 to 2022. In his career, he has 97 tackles 18.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.