The Denver Broncos have completed their most successful season in ten years, tying a franchise record for regular-season wins and securing their first division title in a decade. The team also matched its all-time mark for home victories. Despite these achievements, Owner and CEO Greg Penner emphasized that the organization is focused on further improvement.
“The main message is that we are not satisfied,” Penner said Wednesday. “We know that we have a lot of work to do. We have obviously made a lot of progress in the last four years, but we are going to work our tails off this offseason and come in next year ready to go.”
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, the Broncos will benefit from increased salary cap space, which Penner attributed to how the team managed significant dead cap hits over the past two seasons. During this period, Denver reached the playoffs twice, including an appearance in the AFC Championship Game, despite financial constraints.
“I think we navigated it well,” Penner said. “You prefer not to have that kind of dead money on your books because it can be a limiter, but I love the approach we took, which was none of us were ever going to make any excuses for that. So, we just looked at it as, ‘We’re going to have some constraints. We’re going to have to be scrappy, and we’re going to figure it out and put a great product on the field.’ I think that we’ve done that. We’re in a good position now in terms of cap space, as well as our draft picks. That’s exciting as we go into this offseason.”
Penner noted that while Denver’s improved financial situation allows more flexibility during free agency, the team will remain prudent with its decisions.
“You can be aggressive, but you want to do it in a smart way,” he said. “So, again, we’ll be willing to spend if … we see a player that we think is going to add a lot of value here. We’ll definitely take an aggressive approach, but we’re also not just going to bring in somebody that’s not right for this locker room. There’ll be a lot of factors that we consider.”
Penner expressed confidence in quarterback Bo Nix’s leadership after his second season with the team.
“He won 15 games for us,” Penner said. “He showed his mettle in the fourth quarter a lot of times, bringing us back. He would say the same thing. It’s only his second year in the league, and he has room to grow. Fortunately, Bo has a terrific approach of studying and working. He loves the game. I look forward to watching his continued improvement over the coming years.”
Penner also addressed concerns about Nix’s health following an ankle injury that ended his season.
“I have zero concern,” Penner said. “His surgery was a straightforward surgery that went very well, absolutely no issues there or concerns going forward. I thought he had, as a second-year quarterback, a fantastic season.”
He emphasized that ongoing development will be important for both Nix and the rest of the roster as they prepare for another competitive campaign.
“It doesn’t guarantee success each year,” Penner said regarding team culture and expectations moving forward. “We’re going to have to start over again next year. We’re going to have big goals, and it will start with trying to win the AFC West and go from there.
“We are definitely not satisfied with what we’ve accomplished so far.”
