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Denver Broncos safety Brandon Jones.

While everyone talks about Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix’s broken ankle in the AFC Divisional Round as the injury that defined the season for the franchise, there was another injury 1 month earlier that may have been almost equally as hurtful to their Super Bowl chances.

Talk to anyone within the organization, and they’ll probably tell you that a season-ending pectoral injury to safety Brandon Jones that landed him on injured reserve on December 15 made their defense much, much more vulnerable.

That’s 1 of the reasons ESPN’s Aaron Schatz put giving Jones a contract extension as the No. 1 priority for the Broncos before training camp begins next month, and for good reason.

“The Broncos have three members of their secondary set to hit free agency after the 2026 season,” Schatz wrote. “They might be willing to let Ja’Quan McMillian leave because they have 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron waiting in the wings. They also might want to wait on Riley Moss and see if he can clean up some of his pass interference issues. That leaves safety Jones. At 28, he’s the oldest of the three players, but he’s an important part of this defense and a big reason Denver ranked third in DVOA against passes up the middle in 2025. It would be good to extend Jones another couple of seasons to keep the back end of the Broncos’ defense strong.”

If we’re taking a wild stab at what Jones’ next contract might look like, think a 3-year, $30 million deal with $20 million in guaranteed money to start with.

Broncos Could Have NFL’s Best Secondary in 2026

Jones has been nothing but high impact since the moment he signed a 3-year, $20 million free-agent contract with the Broncos in March 2024.

In his 1st season in Denver, he helped the Broncos end an 8-year postseason drought with 115 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 10 pass deflections in 16 games. In 2025, with Jones paired with NFL All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, outside cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Moss, and McMillian, the slot cornerback, the Broncos were as good as any NFL secondary.

Jones had 78 tackles, 1 interception, and 7 pass deflections in 14 games before his injury.

With that group back in 2026, the Broncos could very well have the NFL’s best secondary.

Brandon Jones Already Considered NFL Elite

If you know ball, you and your other ball-knower friends already know Jones is 1 of the NFL’s elite safeties.

That’s quite a change from when the Broncos were pilloried for spending big money on Jones after he spent the 1st 4 seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins.

“A long-time strength thanks to the presence of since-departed Justin Simmons, safety is now a major concern area for Denver,” ESPN’s Mike Clay wrote in June 2024. “Newcomer Brandon Jones has never played a full season as an every-down player but could be the team’s top option at the position.”

One year later, people were singing a different tune about Jones.

“Jones not only proved the Broncos right in signing him, but he also exceeded expectations by finishing as one of the five highest-graded safeties overall (84.8) and in coverage (89.8) in 2024,” PFF’s Jonathan Macri wrote in May 2025. “He played a career-high 1,042 defensive snaps — almost double his previous career high — and looked more comfortable than he ever has in Vance Joseph’s defense, putting him in the conversation as one of the league’s best heading into 2025.”