Key Broncos in a Contract Year: Projecting C Luke Wattenberg's Payday

Luke Wattenberg took over the Denver Broncos' starting center duties in 2024. He was a solid, though not great, center and was particularly good at run blocking.

Wattenberg enters 2025 as the projected starter. He also enters the final year of his contract. Does it make sense to extend the 2022 fifth-round pick or would he cost too much money?

In order to determine whether it makes sense to extend Wattenberg, it helps to know what the market is for his position. Let’s analyze it.

The Center Market

Currently, the highest-paid center in terms of APY salary is Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs. He signed a four-year, $72 million contract last year with $35M fully guaranteed and a little more than $50M in total guarantees.

Wattenberg isn’t playing at a level that demands a salary that high. However, if he turns in his best season as a pro, the question may be whether he could demand a salary that approaches that of a former Broncos center, Lloyd Cushenberry III.

Cushenberry struggled in his first two seasons with the Broncos, then missed much of his third season because of injuries. But he played well in 2024 and signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency on a four-year, $50M contract with $26M fully guaranteed.

Cushenberry again missed time with injuries last season in Tennessee, and it remains to be seen if he can bounce back. However, the fact that he got a significant payday after one quality season might mean Wattenberg gets the same, should he hit free agency in 2026.

But if Wattenberg were extended now, he wouldn’t command nearly as much money. Robert Hainsey, who has been a decent but not great player, signed in the offseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars for four years at $21M with $10M fully guaranteed.

That’s the money Wattenberg would likely be due if he were to sign an extension during the offseason — a considerably lower amount than what Cushenberry got when he hit free agency last year.

What it All Means

From the Broncos’ standpoint, if they truly believe Wattenberg is the long-term option at center, they need to extend him now because they would get him at a much lower cost.

However, Wattenberg will have incentive to turn in a strong season in 2025, because if he does that, his asking price will increase. He may even find a favorable market similar to what Cushenberry got when he hit free agency last year.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Broncos just let things play out in 2025 and go from there. While the team might avoid higher costs in the future or needing to find a replacement, it would be risking the chance that Wattenberg doesn’t improve, or even regresses, in 2025.

The Broncos did take a chance when they let Cushenberry depart after a quality 2024 season. But Wattenberg proved capable of taking on center duties.

That may mean the Broncos would be comfortable letting Wattenberg depart if they believe another player on the current roster can eventually take over.