Broncos lose Jewell to multiyear deal with Carolina
The Outlaw is on the move. Inside linebacker Josey Jewell is leaving Denver after six seasons to sign a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, a source confirmed to The Post.
Jewell cashed in on a surprisingly strong market for off-ball linebackers, grabbing a $7 million signing bonus and a deal worth $22.5 million overall.
In Carolina, he’ll be reunited with former Denver defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and inside linebackers coach Pete Hansen.
Jewell has been a staple of the Broncos’ inside linebacker group for years since he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
He started nine games as a rookie, then played part time in 2019 before taking over in 2020 and starting 16 games. Injuries limited him to just two games in 2021, but over the past two years he’s started 28 times and racked up 236 tackles total (nine for loss).
Over the past two seasons, he’s also formed a tight bond with fellow inside linebacker Alex Singleton. Singleton advocated strongly for Jewell’s return as the season drew to a close, saying, “It’s usually me that’s like, ‘I don’t know where I’m going to be,’ so it’s pretty weird being on this end of it. But you hope we’re all back because you can just continue to get better. I just think we’ve shown that we can do that and I think we deserve to be able to do that.
“But we’ll see what they decide upstairs.”
The Broncos’ inside linebacker group still needs reinforcement depending on the future of Drew Sanders. Coaches and general manager George Paton have said Sanders could end up in the middle of the field but is more likely an edge player. That leaves Singleton and Jonas Griffith, who has missed the past 1.5 seasons with foot and ACL injuries, as the only two experienced players returning inside for the Broncos.
BRINGING BACK BURTON >> The Broncos agreed to re-sigh fullback Michael Burton, a source confirmed to The Post. The veteran will be back for a second season in Denver and a 10th in the NFL after turning himself into a reliable contributor in 2023.
Burton, 32, appeared in all 17 games, including three starts. He didn’t get the ball much — seven carries for nine yards and three catches for eight yards — but served as a blocker and special teams regular. Overall he played 18% of Denver’s offensive snaps and 63% of the team’s special teams snaps.
LUTZ OFFICIAL >> The Broncos announced the re-signing of kicker Wil Lutz, making official his return to Denver on a two-year deal.
His contract is worth $8.4 million overall, which checks in right in line with several other kickers who have agreed to deals in the early days of free agency this month.
Lutz also appeared on the Pat Mcafee show and explained what happened Monday when he for a couple of hours was believed to be signing a three-year deal with Jacksonville.
“We had a good run with the Jags,” Lutz joked before adding. … “I have no problem admitting there was a little miscommunication on my team’s side to figure out what we were going to do.”
OLD FRIENDS >> Several other former Broncos found work on the second day of free agency. Defensive lineman Shelby Harris is returning to Cleveland, where he’ll be teammates with receiver Jerry Jeudy. Quarterback Drew Lock, like Harris a part of the 2022 Broncos trade for Russell Wilson, landed a one-year deal with the New York Giants.