Ben Powers has not received a king’s ransom for his troubles. The opposite, actually.
On Monday, sources with knowledge of Powers’ contract confirmed to The Denver Post that the eighth-year Broncos guard has accepted a pay cut, whittling away a significant chunk of salary from one of the most expensive players on Denver’s 2026 roster. The exact number of Powers’ new salary is currently unknown, but a source told The Post the Broncos cut down Powers’ base salary — originally $12.5 million — and added slightly to his 2026 signing bonus ($5.4 million).
It’s a noble agreement for Powers, who has been the subject of consistent cut speculation entering the final season of a four-year, $52 million contract signed in 2023. After suffering a left biceps tear in the Broncos’ Week 5 win over Philadelphia, Powers was placed on injured reserve and missed much of Denver’s 2025 season before returning in Week 16. That, it turns out, wasn’t all.
A source confirmed to The Post that Powers suffered a Lisfranc injury — the same affliction that knocked out running back J.K. Dobbins for the season — in that Week 16 return against the Jaguars. Powers, who had previously started every game for the Broncos at left guard in 2023 and 2024, played through the broken foot for four remaining regular-season and playoff games in 2025.
Still, Powers stood to enter the 2026 season with the second-largest cap hit ($18.2 million) on the Broncos’ roster. A source with knowledge of the talks told The Post that the club approached Powers in late February about a potential pay cut and there was real trade buzz afoot for the 29-year-old guard.
Denver, ultimately, told Powers they wouldn’t move him or touch his contract March 5, sources previously told The Post. After Lisfranc surgery in the spring, Powers would not have been able to pass a physical, which would have made trading him difficult or impossible. After Powers was cleared for training camp recently, though, the two sides went back to the table.
The Broncos, now, will reduce the bill on an expensive front five, as the club has invested considerably into preserving offensive-line continuity in front of third-year quarterback Bo Nix. According to , Denver was set to commit roughly 18% of its 2026 cap allocations to its starting five offensive linemen, before Powers’ pay cut.
Powers, now, will head into his fourth training camp as the Broncos’ established starter at left guard. He could face competition, though, from recently-extended reserve Alex Palczewski — who started 10 games in Powers’ place in 2025 — and fourth-round rookie Kage Casey, who worked at left guard through the Broncos’ offseason program this summer.
