In the end, there was no sign of any potential holdout.
The Broncos have officially agreed to terms with defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim on his rookie contract, a source with knowledge of the talks told The Denver Post on Sunday night. Onyedim was Denver’s first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, sitting near the top of the third round at No. 66.
It’s a standard four-year deal for Onyedim. According to NFL draft pick slot values set by the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the contract is worth a total of $7.39 million and comes with a $1.83 million signing bonus.
With Onyedim signing, Denver has now officially agreed to terms with all seven of its 2026 draft picks — much quicker into the offseason than last year, when talks with 2025 second-round pick RJ Harvey didn’t wrap up until the start of training camp. After being picked on Day 2 of the draft in late April, Onyedim was one of a few third-round rookies staring up at quarterback Carson Beck’s contract talks with the Arizona Cardinals at pick No. 65, trying to negotiate for a percentage of guaranteed money in base salary.
Onyedim, though, won’t see any guaranteed base money, according to a source.
The 6-foot-3, 292-pound defensive lineman assumed John Franklin-Myers’ old No. 98 for Denver’s offseason program, and has been an early standout among both team newcomers and the interior defensive line while jockeying for immediate rotational reps. The Broncos see Onyedim as a potential short-term and long-term replacement for the departed Franklin-Myers, as the Texas A&M product is nearly Franklin-Myers’ exact measurements.
Onyedim finished with 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, along with a forced fumble, in his senior season at A&M in 2025.
“He’s got the hard part kind of done,” Broncos defensive lineman Zach Allen said of Onyedim in mid-June. “You could definitely tell he’s got the physical traits, and then he’s got a good attitude about it. So he is always trying to learn, always asking questions. He really takes the film seriously, which is pretty rare for a young player. He’s been great.”
