More than 90 percent of the players selected in the 2026 NFL draft have signed their rookie contracts. Among the players who remain unsigned, there are two big clusters, at the top of the third round and the top of the fourth round.
The first six players drafted in the third round are still unsigned: Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck, Broncos defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim, Raiders defensive end Keyron Crawford, Eagles tackle Markel Bell, Bears tight end Sam Roush and 49ers edge rusher Romello Height.
The first seven players drafted in the fourth round are also unsigned: Raiders cornerback Jermond McCoy, Bills tackle Jude Bowry, Jets defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr., Cardinals defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor, Chargers wide receiver Brenen Thompson, Texans guard Febechi Nwaiwu and 49ers defensive tackle Gracen Halton.
Those 13 players make up the majority of the 2026 draft picks who haven’t signed their rookie contracts yet.
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said on the team’s YouTube show that high third and fourth-round picks are encouraged by the players’ union to ask for contract provisions that the players in the previous round are getting.
“A lot of years it was the third round took forever,” Beane said. “The union is constantly trying to push down everything from the second round into the third round, and then the third round to make the fourth round better. In this CBA it feels like the fourth round has become more difficult.”
Beane said he understand why Bowry’s agent doesn’t want him to sign until he sees what other fourth-round picks can get, but he thinks it will work itself out before training camp.
“Sometimes agents are a little afraid to do something if the guy in front of them hasn’t done it,” Beane said. “They don’t want to look bad. It’s all recruiting. Jude’s been great. Until it’s done it’s not done, but we’re optimistic.”
A handful of first- and second-round picks also remain unsigned. Every player picked in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds has signed.
Broncos Clips
Broncos tight end Caleb Lohner will miss the rest of the offseason program after a cleanup surgery, Mike Klis of 9News reports.
The body part is specified only as lower body.
Lohner is expected to be ready for training camp.
The Broncos made him a seventh-round pick in 2025. He was primarily a basketball player before transitioning to football in 2024 when he caught four touchdowns for Utah.
Lohner spent last season on Denver’s practice squad but did not play in the regular season. The Broncos elevated him to the game-day roster for the divisional round game against the Bills, but he ended up being inactive.
The Broncos have Evan Engram, Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins on the depth chart ahead of Lohner, and the team drafted Justin Joy, so Lohner has his work cut out for him to make the roster.
Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper was arrested last Thursday on domestic violence charges and he was in a Douglas County, Colorado courtroom to enter a plea on Monday.
Cooper pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges that he faces for an incident involving his girlfriend, who was also arrested after police responded to the scene. In an affidavit obtained by the Denver Post, Cooper told police he grabbed his girlfriend’s arm while trying to get his phone back while his girlfriend alleges that Cooper grabbed her neck. Officers at the scene noted in their report that she did not have injuries consistent with that alleged action, but did note “a small mark on her neck, scratches on her arm and a small cut on her hand.”
Cooper’s attorney told the Post that his client wants a trial by jury as soon as possible. A motions hearing is set for July 6 with a trial expected to begin on July 22.
Cooper is entering his sixth season with the Broncos.
More details have emerged in the arrest of Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper.
Cooper’s long-term girlfriend was also arrested late Thursday night, and both face charges of misdemeanor domestic violence and misdemeanor criminal mischief, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.
Cooper’s girlfriend accused him of cheating on her, prompting an argument, according to the affidavit. The woman claimed to have taken his phone and thrown it across the room before retrieving it.
Cooper said, via the affidavit, that he grabbed his girlfriend by her upper arms to get his phone. He then “braced his neck against her neck to prevent her from getting it” when she went for his phone again.
Cooper, 28, was booked into Douglas County Jail early Friday morning. He was released on a personal recognizance bond after a hearing on Friday.
He is scheduled for another hearing on Monday.
The NFL and the Broncos released statements acknowledging they are “aware of the matter.”
Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper was arrested in Colorado on Thursday night.
TMZ reports that Cooper was taken into custody around 11 p.m. and that he is being held on two counts of domestic violence. Cooper also faces one count of criminal mischief.
Cooper is expected to appear before a judge on Friday and another hearing in the case is set for Monday.
“We are aware of the matter and are gathering more information,” the Broncos said in a statement provided to multiple reporters.
Cooper was a 2021 seventh-round pick in Denver. He has started every game over the last three seasons and has recorded 27 sacks over the last three seasons.
The Broncos have just started their Organized Team Activities, and newly acquired wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is already impressing head coach Sean Payton.
Payton said he’s been pleased with what he’s seen from Waddle on the practice field.
“He’s had a good week,’’ Payton said, via the Denver Gazette. “He’s someone who picks things up real quick. He had a real good day [Wednesday]. You can just feel his instincts, his quickness and his ability to really not only run fast, but stop fast. So he’s doing well.”
The Broncos gave up a first-round pick and a third-round pick for Waddle, an investment they wouldn’t have made if they didn’t expect him to provide a big upgrade to their offense. It will take a lot more than looking good at OTAs for that investment to pay off, but so far, Payton likes what he sees.
There was no doubt about Courtland Sutton’s placement in the pecking order of Broncos receivers in 2025, but the team’s biggest offseason move shook up that depth chart.
Jaylen Waddle arrived in a trade with the Dolphins and giving up a first-round pick and more for the wideout made it clear that they have big plans for him in their offense. Those plans could lead to questions about whether he or Sutton is the team’s No. 1 receiver, but it is not a debate that Sutton is interested in having.
“Shoot, you guys know me. We’ve talked for years at this point, and I want to win games,’’ Sutton said, via Mike Klis of KUSA. “I think last year, we saw what it would take for a selfless offense to be able to get to where we want to get to. I don’t think that we have any individuals or personalities in our offense that are saying, ‘Hey, I need this, I need that.’ I think we have a bunch of guys that are willing to put their pride aside and say, ‘What do I need to do for this team to be successful?’ I think us seeing that last year, we got to see what that benefit is in terms of overall team success. I think having that mentality as an offense and team will ultimately get us where we want to get to. . . . The targets will come. I always say, the ball is going to find you no matter what. You just need to go out there and do your job.”
Sutton led the Broncos with 74 catches last season, but Troy Franklin and Evan Engram also had at least 50 catches so the team was already spreading the ball around before Waddle’s arrival. While his presence could mean there will be more of that, there should be enough action to keep everyone involved.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix wasn’t taking part in Thursday’s OTA practice, but head coach Sean Payton said the team thinks that will change before the end of the offseason program.
Payton said early in May that there was a “good chance” Nix would practice in June and he said that the quarterback has made progress in his recovery from the fractured ankle he suffered in January. Nix had a pair of surgeries to address the injury and Payton said that he believes Nix will be ready for increased
“I think we’ll see him in that role here, you don’t see the pre-practice, but he’s been throwing. And I do think in our third week when you guys are out here for three straight days, I think you’ll see more of a role,” Payton said, via Will Petersen of 104.3 The Fan.
The stretch with media access for three straight days is the team’s mandatory minicamp that starts on June 16. A return for those practices would be a good sign for Nix’s availability for a full workload at the minicamp.
Russell Wilson has made it official.
In a social-media video posted on Wednesday, Wilson announced his retirement from the NFL and confirmed that he will be working for CBS, on The NFL Today.
A third-round pick in 2012, Wilson won the starting job as a rookie, beating out free-agent arrival Matt Flynn.
Wilson made it to the Pro Bowl nine times in 10 seasons with the Seahawks. Traded to the Broncos in 2022, he had two seasons in Denver, one in Pittsburgh, and one with the Giants.
The Jets had interest in adding Wilson as a backup to Geno Smith, who once backed up Wilson in Seattle. Ultimately, Wilson chose TV over continuing to play.
In the years to come, Wilson’s Hall of Fame candidacy will be debated. Former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty said on Tuesday’s PFT Live that Wilson was in the second tier of NFL quarterbacks during McCourty’s career, which largely overlapped with Wilson’s.
Still, Wilson had a strong run in the NFL. He defied his size, won a Super Bowl, and was the highest-paid player in the NFL, twice.
Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II is set to make a little more money in 2026.
Agent Tory Dandy told multiple reporters that Surtain has agreed to an adjusted contract with the team. Surtain will get a $5 million raise for the 2026 season and he’ll earn $5 million more in 2027 if he’s named an All-Pro or Pro Bowler come the end of the season. Surtain is a two-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler after five seasons in the league.
Surtain signed a four-year, $96 million contract extension in 2024 that kicks in this season. At the time of the deal, Surtain had the high-water mark for average annual salary at corner but has slipped down the list since putting pen to paper.
The adjustment addresses that and earning the 2027 pay bump as well will likely have Surtain on track for more contract talks with the Broncos before his current deal is up.
