DeMarcus Ware staying with Denver Broncos on restructured deal

Reeling a bit after a series of personnel losses earlier in the week, the Denver Broncos and Broncos Country received a much-needed dose of good news on the free-agency front Saturday when linebacker DeMarcus Ware agreed to restructure the final year of his three-year contract.

The news broke around noon Saturday on multiple outlets, with ESPN’s Jeff Legwold among the first to report the deal.

Ware, who will turn 34 on July 31, was due to be paid a $7 million in base salary this coming season with a $3 million roster bonus due Sunday. Add in the prorated portion of his $5 million signing bonus, and he was due to count $11,666,668 against the Orange & Blue’s already-stretched 2016 salary cap.

Pro Football Talk reports that under the restructured deal, Ware will receive a $6.5 million in compensation this coming season with the opportunity to recoup the $3.5 million reduction through incentive clauses based incrementally on his season sack total. Reportedly, $4 million of the deal is guaranteed.

Despite missing five games with back issues and playing only 36.4 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, Ware finished second on the team with 7.5 sacks during the regular season but was able to add 3.5 sacks and 10 total tackles while playing in all three post-season games.

Ware, a nine-time Pro Bowler who ranks as the league’s second-active sacks leader with 134.5, figures to again play on a limited snap count this coming season, being deployed primarily as an edge rusher on passing downs.

Even more importantly, though, the Broncos will be able to retain Ware’s valuable veteran presence and locker-room leadership. This past postseason, Ware spoke to the squad before the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, delivering inspirational messages that resonated with his teammates.