Quinn Meinerz was one of two third-round picks of the Denver Broncos in 2021 and has emerged as arguably the team's best offensive lineman. Some would say that Meinerz is one of the best offensive guards in the NFL.
Meinerz earned a raise via proven performance escalators for 2024 and will be in line for a much bigger raise when it comes time for him to sign a new contract. One would think the Broncos would be prepared to extend Meinerz, but the question is what would a new contract look like?
A factor that may come into play is the guard market this offseason. During the first week of free agency, the likes of Robert Hunt, Kevin Dotson, and Jonah Jackson signed deals that put them near the top of the market. Also this offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles extended Landon Dickerson. We're also one year removed from the Atlanta Falcons extending Chris Lindstrom.
Let's examine the contracts of these five players and see which ones are more likely to impact a deal for Meinerz.
Recent Offensive Guard Signings
Chris Lindstrom
We'll start with the Falcons' right guard, a 2019 first-round pick who had one year left on his deal when he was extended for five years at $105.2M. While the Falcons had the fifth-year option available, the extension meant the Falcons had no need to exercise it.
Lindstrom got $48.2M in full guarantees and $62.7M in total guarantees, the most for an offensive guard at the time he signed his deal. His 2025 salary is injury-only guaranteed but becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster on March 19, 2025.
While Lindstrom did re-set the market in APY salary ($20.5M) and guaranteed money, the contract favors the Falcons because they can cut him for cap or skill reasons after this season. Atlanta has more flexibility to get out of the deal in 2026, meaning Lindstrom could miss out on more than $40M of money due in the contract.
Robert Hunt
The Carolina Panthers gave Hunt a five-year, $100M contract, which came in below Lindstrom in terms of APY salary and full guarantees ($44M), but was higher on total guarantees ($63M).
Hunt got more favorable terms, though, when it came to locking in future guarantees. His 2026 salary is injury-only guaranteed, but $10M becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster on March 13, 2025. The remaining $9M salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster on March 13, 2026.
If Hunt plays so bad that the Panthers want to cut him, they'd have to do so by March 13, 2025, and use a post-June 1 designation, while paying him $16.35M, to ensure they aren't on the hook for more money in 2026. Thus, Hunt's deal is more favorable to the player than Lindstrom's deal.
Landon Dickerson
The Eagles extended Dickerson, a 2021 second-round pick, for four more years at $84M. Dickerson was in the final year of his deal, so the Eagles were able to pro-rate his signing bonus starting this year.
Dickerson re-set the market in APY salary ($21M) but got just $28.89M in full guarantees and $50M in total guarantees, thus taking less in guarantees than either Lindstrom or Hunt.
Dickerson's contract is structured with multiple option bonuses that would reduce his cap number over the years, but includes four void years for cap purposes. It's a unique contract structure that does offer Dickerson some protection, in that he will get $10M of his 2026 salary guaranteed if he's on the roster the third day of the 2025 league year.
Kevin Dotson & Jonah Jackson
The Los Angeles Rams made Dotson one of their top free agent signings, giving him a three-year, $48M contract with $24M fully guaranteed and $32M in total guarantees. The Rams also added Jackson, who got a three-year, $51M contract, with $25.5M fully guaranteed and $34M in total guarantees.
That meant the two players combined for nearly $50M in fully guaranteed money. Neither contract re-set the market to any degree but the deals did put both players among the higher-paid guards.
What it Means for Meinerz
The Dotson and Jackson contracts likely won't matter to Meinerz in extension talks, but the deals for Lindstorm, Hunt and Dickerson will certainly come into play.
If Meinerz wants to re-set the market in APY salary, he needs to beat Dickerson. To re-set it for full guarantees, he needs to beat Lindstrom, and for total guarantees, he needs to beat Hunt.
Beating all three means Meinerz may be in line for at least a four-year deal averaging $21.5M per year, which comes to $86M if a four-year deal and $107.5M if a five-year deal. Either way, the deal would call for at least $49M in full guarantees and at least $64M in total guarantees.
The Broncos' only significant free-agent signing at offensive guard is Ben Powers, who got a four-year, $52M deal with $27M in full guarantees and $28.5M in total guarantees. While not a low-cost deal, it looks like a value deal when compared to what guards got in the 2024 offseason.
I don't believe the Broncos will be able to get Meinerz for a contract like Powers, though. But the Powers' contract does beg the question of how much the Broncos value the guard position. It would seem like a bad idea to let Meinerz walk, but who knows where the Broncos might prefer to commit resources.
However, the Broncos could opt to persuade Meinerz to take less in APY salary in exchange for more in full guarantees, more in total guarantees and a contract structure that gives Meinerz more protection.
A five-year, $97.5M deal that starts in 2025 might not sound like a great deal for Meinerz, but if the Broncos gave him $50M in full guarantees, it sounds better. Then the Broncos could offer $65M in total guarantees, but structure the deal so his entire 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed in 2026.
In other words, the Broncos might not have to re-set the market in every aspect, but they could re-set it in aspects that are more favorable to Meinerz, those being full guarantees, total guarantees, contract structure and cash flow — factors that are more meaningful than APY salary.
Time will tell what the Broncos do with Meinerz, but regardless of what they do, it's more probable than not that Meinerz will re-set the guard market to some degree.
