The Denver Broncos aren’t leaving anything to chance when it comes to building a championship defense. Head coach Sean Payton has made a swift move in that regard, locking in a defensive cornerstone before the market opens. But as one slot fills in, another may be sliding out the door.

“The Broncos are bringing back a key member of their defense,” NFL reporter James Palmer shared on X. “LB Justin Strnad is returning to Denver on a 3-year deal worth 18 million with 10 million guaranteed. 5.1 million is guaranteed at signing per sources. A smart player that had options elsewhere.”

Sean Payton didn’t wait around to let the market decide a value for his linebacker and snatch him away. Instead, they may have given an indication of where his offseason plans are headed.

Through the last two seasons, Strnad has filled in quite efficiently in place of Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw. While Greenlaw is projected to be released by many around the league, general manager George Paton has made a strong case for the other two at the Combine recently.

“Alex and Justin, we’d love to have those guys back,” Paton noted. “We’d love to have them back, regardless of what’s in the draft. We see those guys as Broncos. If we let those guys leave, what are we doing?”

Strnad is the kind of player defensive schemes are quietly built around: smart, disciplined, and versatile. His 2025 numbers were modest, yet steady, with 58 combined tackles and 4.5 sacks. For a team that looked like a genuine Super Bowl contender last season, Strnad’s football IQ is exactly what Sean Payton will need at linebacker. Retaining him at roughly $6 million annually feels like a calculated bet to go deep into the 2026 playoffs. 

And yet, even as Denver adds, it could also subtract. Safety P.J. Locke, a veteran entering his eighth NFL season, has drawn interest from the Dallas Cowboys. Locke’s 2021–2023 Denver tenure overlapped with the current Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

Under Parker, Locke had his best production in 2023, logging 53 tackles, one pick, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and three sacks. He checks every box Parker’s scheme demands and could be a major loss for Mile High if Dallas snags him.

Adding linebacker depth while potentially watching a veteran safety walk out the door: that’s the tightrope Sean Payton’s front office is navigating this offseason. But beyond the roster moves, a far greater storm is brewing inside the building, focused on the man under center.

Is Sean Payton losing the plot with Bo Nix?

After Denver’s AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots, Sean Payton had publicly claimed that quarterback Bo Nix had been “predisposed” to the foot injury that ended his season.

Nix, meanwhile, publicly disputed those claims. In the process, he also reignited simmering tensions between the coach and the quarterback. A head coach questioning his own QB’s medical history in public isn’t a good sign, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“Sean Payton has acted really (redacted) weird this whole season and the offseason,” Bill Simmons said on The Ringer recently. “It’s not just one thing; you could point to, like, seven different things that just are weird. You are supposed to be the most stable person in your organization, and he is not.”

Co-host Danny Kelly was ready to take things even further, dropping a bold verdict on Nix’s future: “Broncos trade Bo Nix.”

And while criticism of Sean Payton’s regime continued among league voices, former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer offered the clearest rebuttal for Bo Nix.

“Bo is the most important part of the team,” Plummer said. “With his progression so far, you need to take care of him… Bo has the clutch gene. You can’t coach that. Coach Payton has no recipe for that.”

Denver’s only playoff appearances in the last decade have come with Bo Nix under center. The Justin Strnad signing solidifies one corner of the roster. But no linebacker deal matters if the coach and his quarterback are pulling in opposite directions. Where that road leads is the loudest question in Denver right now.