With NFL free agency approaching, the Denver Broncos are expected to be $10.7 million (or so) over the salary cap.

The Broncos can create more cap space by restructuring select contracts this spring. One obvious candidate for a simple restructure is wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who scored a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2023.

Sutton is set to have a $13 million salary in 2024 and his total cap hit will be about $17.29 million. As KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis has noted, Denver could convert part of Sutton’s salary into a signing bonus for cap relief.

If the Broncos, for example, converted $11 million of that $13 million into a signing bonus, they could prorate the bonus over the next two years — $5.5 million in 2024 and $5.5 million in 2025. That would bring Sutton’s salary and bonus to $7.5 million this year instead of $13 million, creating more cap space.

There’s no downside for Sutton because he would ultimately be paid the same amount, with a large portion paid upfront instead of during the season. The upside for Denver would be creating more 2024 cap space (but it would also increase Sutton’s cap hit in 2025).

A restructure would kick the can down the road, something NFL teams do every offseason. If the Broncos are looking to create more cap space this year, converting some of Sutton’s salary into a bonus would make sense.