DENVER—John Lynch, rather than test the free agency market or retire, has decided to take a pay cut and remain with the Denver Broncos for a fifth season.
Lynch was scheduled to make $2 million in 2008, and hesitated about returning to the team after he was asked to take a cut in salary, according to the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. Lynch was due a $1.12 million roster bonus on March 4.
The Pro Bowl safety even called owner Pat Bowlen to say farewell on Thursday night. But when he couldn’t reach Bowlen, Lynch went to sleep.
The next morning Lynch had a change of heart. He met with Bowlen, then with coach Mike Shanahan, and they hammered out a one-year deal Friday.
Lynch, who will turn 37 next season, had started to come off the field on passing downs last year, but played every snap in the last three games.
Lynch was dinged up in 2007, missing a game with a groin injury and two more because of a stinger in his neck, which he suffered against Green Bay in late October.
Lynch finished last season with 62 tackles and one sack in 13 games. He also made his ninth Pro Bowl appearance, and his fourth straight while a member of the Broncos.
