Broncos tackle Ryan Clady won’t be getting a contract extension anytime soon.
Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that Clady and the Broncos have mutually decided to shelve talk about a new contract until after the 2012 season. Clady will make $3.5 million this season, the final year of his five-year rookie pact.
The Broncos reportedly offered Clady a five-year, $50 million deal with $28 million guaranteed earlier this month, a deal that would have made him one of the five best-paid tackles in football. Rejecting it would suggest that Clady is shooting for a bigger, Joe Thomas-sized number as a free agent after this season. Thomas’ deal with the Browns averages out at more than $11.5 million per season.
The fly in that ointment, well one of the flies, is Denver’s ability to use the franchise tag on Clady. If that happened, Clady would stand to make around $9.6 million in 2013 if he didn’t work out a long-term agreement.
Fly number two would be the fact that Thomas has been a better player than Clady over the course of their respective careers. That’s not a big knock on Clady, because Thomas has been at an elite level since stepping into the league. If Clady wants that kind of money, it looks like he’ll have to prove he’s worth it this season.