With the Denver Broncos unlikely to carry two punters into the regular season, six-year veteran Britton Colquitt is likely to be traded very soon, with interest coming from the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.
The Broncos have asked Colquitt, who has been with the team since 2010, not missing a single game, to take a pay cut. Colquitt has a base salary of $3.25 million this season, and his cap hit is $4 million. If the Broncos release him, they’ll take on $750,000 of dead money. Colquitt signed a three-year extension with the Broncos in 2013 worth $11.67 million, and 2016 is the final year of his deal.
The 31 year-old who played for Tennessee in College, and is 12th all-time with 45.2 yards per punt, although there’s been a steady (yet small) decrease in his production since his second NFL season, is expecting that either him or 6th round pick Riley Dixon will be released in the next 48 hours. Colquitt didn’t play in the third preseason game with the Broncos informing him Dixon will handle the punt duties. Colquitt took a pay cut before last season to $1.6 million from the $3 he was supposed to make, and finished 20th in the NFL in net punt yards.
It’s not often we see a trade for a punter, especially someone on the decline, who was undrafted when he entered the NFL. However, the four mentioned teams do need help in that aspect, and even if there’s no trade for a 7th round pick or something of the kind, Coqluitt will likely get picked up in this free agency, heading into what might be his last NFL season.