The legal tampering period annually brings waves of unofficial agreements, as official announcements cannot come until the next league year starts. This current arrangement leaves room for teams to poach free agents after they have already committed elsewhere. Although this does not happen often, instances have occurred that led to 11th-hour changes from free agents.
It appears the Jets were involved in an effort to sway a high-end defender’s commitment last week. Talanoa Hufanga agreed to join the Broncos on a three-year deal, doing so hours before ex-49ers teammate Dre Greenlaw agreed to sign with the AFC West team. Hufanga, however, drew a subsequent Jets push.
The Jets attempted to pry Hufanga from the Broncos’ grasp after reports of the deal surfaced, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. Gang Green had been connected to the Jevon Holland market, but Hufanga may have been higher on the team’s list. Holland did not agree to terms (with the Giants) until Day 2 of the tampering period. As Day 1 progressed, the Jets made their case after Hufanga’s camp had agreed to Broncos terms. Hufanga did not come off his decision and is heading to Denver.
This overtime duel for Hufanga pitted Broncos GM George Paton against former lieutenant Darren Mougey, whom the Jets hired as GM this offseason. The former John Elway hire moved onto a lower-cost option at safety once Hufanga kept his Broncos commitment.
A 2022 first-team All-Pro who battled injury issues over the past two seasons, Hufanga signed a three-year, $39MM Broncos deal. The actual terms do not match the initial report, which indicated Denver went to $45MM in total for the multiyear safety starter. Hufanga’s market did not quite match where Holland, Tre’von Moehrig and Camryn Bynum‘s respective free agency forays went. It is unclear if the Jets were offering more money, but it is unlikely they were preparing to make a substantially bigger investment. After their Hufanga push failed, the Jets signed ex-Jaguars safety Andre Cisco to a one-year, $8.5MM pact soon after.
Hufanga, 26, will be set to start alongside Brandon Jones in Denver. He and Greenlaw join former 49ers teammates Mike McGlinchey and D.J. Jones as Broncos starters; Jones had re-signed to stay in Denver the night before the tampering period began. Hufanga’s Broncos agreement includes $20MM guaranteed at signing.
Elsewhere on the Broncos’ roster, their Jarrett Stidham re-signing (two years, $12MM) came with $6.99MM guaranteed at signing, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. The Broncos are guaranteeing $2MM of their backup QB’s $5.99MM 2026 base salary, providing a runway for the ex-Patriots draftee to extend his Denver run to at least four seasons.
Although Matt Peart could not escape our Minor NFL Transactions section during a frenzied first day of the tampering period, the Denver swingman received a nice raise on his second Broncos contract. Peart’s second Denver deal is worth $7MM over two years, Klis adds. The Broncos, who had Peart at just $1.29MM last season, retained 2026 flexibility by only guaranteeing the backup $775K for injury beyond 2025. Peart, 27, made two starts for the team in 2024. Denver returning UDFA Alex Palczewski as well provides decent protection in the event McGlinchey or LT Garett Bolles miss time.