ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --The 2014 free agency period will officially commence at 2 p.m. MDT.
Before that happens, here's a quick recap of what you need to know.
The Broncos have 19 players that are set to become unrestricted free agents and two set to be restricted free agents.
The unrestricted agents are as follows:
S Mike Adams
DE Robert Ayers
G Zane Beadles
LB Stewart Bradley
WR Andre Caldwell
CB Marquice Cole
WR Eric Decker
WR Trindon Holliday (has not been tendered; see details below)
S Michael Huff
CB Quentin Jammer
T Winston Justice
C Dan Koppen
LB Paris Lenon
DE Jeremy Mincey
RB Knowshon Moreno
DE Shaun Phillips
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
C Steve Vallos
LB Wesley Woodyard
The Broncos placed tenders on two of their restricted free agents and three exclusive-rights free agents.
The team issued contract tenders to cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and defensive tackle Mitch Unrein, who are restricted free agents.
Harris' offer was at the right-of-first-refusal plus a second-round pick level. That means the Broncos would have five days to match an offer sheet presented to Harris by another team. If the Broncos chose not to match it, the team that signs Harris would owe Denver a second-round pick.
Unrein's offer was at the right-of-first-refusal level, meaning that while there is no draft-pick compensation if the Broncos don't match an offer sheet, the club would still have five days to decide whether or not to match the offer.
Teams have until May 2 to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets, and those players' original clubs have until May 7 to exercise their right of first refusal and match those offers.
Cornerback Tony Carter, safety Duke Ihenacho and linebacker Brandon Marshall were also given contract tenders as exclusive-rights free agents.
Exclusive-rights free agents are players whose contracts have expired and have less than three accrued NFL seasons of experience. They may not negotiate with any other team.
Wide receiver and kick returner Trindon Holliday, who was a restricted free agent, has not been given a contract tender and thus will become an unrestricted free agent at 2 p.m. MDT.
FREE AGENCY OUTLOOK
For the past few weeks, independent analyst Andrew Mason has been taking a look at the upcoming free agent crop, position by position.
Here are links to his rundowns:
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive guards and centers
Offensive tackles
Defensive tackles
Defensive ends
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties
He also pointed out the key names to keep an eye on in the early stages of free agency. His final primer can be seen here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The NFL put together a list of questions and answers surrounding 2014 free agency, which can be seen here.
As soon as any transactions become official, we'll let you know on DenverBroncos.com.
