Broncos officially issue 2nd-round tenders on Matt Paradis, Shaq Barrett
Mar 12, 2018, 11:35 AM | Updated: Mar 14, 2018, 8:56 am
As the legal tampering period of free agency kicks off, the Denver Broncos will at least get a chance to retain two of its restricted free agents.
Per multiple reports, the Broncos have placed a second-round tender on both center Matt Paradis and linebacker Shaquil Barrett.
Barrett and Paradis have until April 20 to sign the Broncos offer sheet, which would net them $2.914 million each in 2018, though each player can negotiate with any of the other 31 teams.
Should either Barrett or Paradis receive an offer sheet from another team, Denver would have five days to match it. If the club opts not to match, it’d receive a second-round draft pick in this year’s draft as compensation.
The Broncos, however, did not tender wide receiver Bennie Fowler, the team’s other restricted free agent, and therefore he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
Paradis, a sixth-round pick in 2014, has played every one of the 3,149 snaps the Broncos offenses has had over the past three seasons after earning the starting role in 2015. ‘
Pro Football Focus ranked Paradis as the eighth-best center in the NFL in 2017, grading his pass-blocking efficiency as the 11th-best in the league.
The site also ranked Barrett, a college free agent in 2014 coming out of Colorado State, among the best edge players in free agency, naming him and Paradis as the top two restricted free agents in the NFL.
In 2017, Barrett played in all 16 games, making nine starts, while racking up 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 4.0 sacks, and 30 tackles.
Fowler, also undrafted in 2014 out of Michigan State, played in 45 games for the Broncos over three seasons of action, catching 56 passes for 698 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The wide receiver contributed to the annals of history by catching a two-point conversion in Super Bowl 50 to seal a win for Denver, which would end up being future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning’s final career pass.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
