With Super Bowl Sunday just days away, we’ll take a unique approach to “breaking down” the final two teams. The following is a “fun fact” analysis of the contracts, salaries, cash, and statuses of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks rosters. We’ll assess the average player, the totals spent, dollars spent to injuries, and players potentially heading to free agency this offseason.
The Averages
The average 2013 Seattle Seahawks player is 25.6 years old, has an annual salary of $2.02 million, and holds a 3 year $8 million contract, with an average signing bonus of just $1.65 million.
The average 2013 Denver Broncos player is 27 years old, earns an annual salary of $2.11 million, and holds a 3 year $7.67 million contract.
Here’s a look at how this breaks down by position:
| Position | Team | Age | Avg. Yrs | Avg. Dollars | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | SEA | 27.5 | 2.5 | $1,918,351 | $794,588 |
| DEN | 27.7 | 4.3 | $33,908,292 | $6,877,073 | |
| Running Back | SEA | 23.8 | 3.8 | $7,934,664 | $2,008,416 |
| DEN | 23.25 | 4 | $6,259,415 | $1,382,614 | |
| Wide Receiver | SEA | 25.43 | 3.57 | $16,229,857 | $3,108,744 |
| DEN | 28 | 3.25 | $7,816,412 | $2,639,722 | |
| Tight End | SEA | 26.5 | 3.5 | $9,774,595 | $2,152,711 |
| DEN | 27.25 | 3.5 | $5,104,250 | $1,622,416 | |
| Offensive Line | SEA | 30.5 | 3.46 | $10,015,266 | $2,472,285 |
| DEN | 28.1 | 2.8 | $10,201,458 | $4,443,993 | |
| Defensive Line | SEA | 26.15 | 3 | $8,698,624 | $2,727,204 |
| DEN | 26.5 | 2.9 | $4,220,916 | $1,361,854 | |
| Linebackers | SEA | 26 | 3.35 | $3,845,859 | $1,142,590 |
| DEN | 26.6 | 2.63 | $3,866,570 | $1,346,163 | |
| Secondary | SEA | 25 | 3.3 | $5,938,139 | $1,536,611 |
| DEN | 27.5 | 2.5 | $5,636,453 | $1,921,893 |
The Totals
The Broncos’ Spending
The Broncos’ spent $134,525,365 in cash (salaries & bonuses) on their 2013 roster, 19% of which went to Peyton Manning’s $25 million. The total sum of all contracts on the 2013 Denver Broncos’ roster is $483,676,656. Their largest contract is Peyton Manning’s $96 million deal, which ranks 10th among all NFL deals.
Related: Current Denver Broncos Contracts
The Seahawks’ Spending
The Seahawks’ spent $140,478,631 in cash (salaries & bonuses) on their players in 2013. The total sum of all contracts on the current 2013 Seahawks roster is $512,423,828. Their largest contract, Percy Harvin’s $64.25 million deal, ranks 25th in the NFL, and is 12.6% of the Seahawks’ total contract dollars. His $12 million signing bonus is nearly double any other current “Seahawk”, but ranks just 52nd in the NFL.
The $3,836,702 spent on contracts for active quarterbacks (Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson) is by FAR the lowest amount for any team in the NFL. The total of all seven Seattle linebacker’s contracts is $25.25 million. 31 individual NFL linebackers have a contract greater than this number.
Related: Current Seattle Seahawks Contracts
| Item | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Cash Spent | SEA | $140,478,631 |
| DEN | $134,525,365 | |
| Total Contracts | SEA | $512,423,828 |
| DEN | $483,676,656 | |
| Offensive Contracts | SEA | $299,272,650 |
| DEN | $298,482,188 | |
| Defensive Contracts | SEA | $201,616,178 |
| DEN | $158,203,468 | |
| Special Team Contracts | SEA | $11,535,000 |
| DEN | $26,991,000 |
Diamonds in the Rough
Both teams have a substantial amount of players pending free agency this offseason. The Seahawks’ roster contains 23 undrafted free agents, a total of $63,148,756 in contracts – 34% of which comes from DE Chris Clemons’ 3 year $22 million contract.
The Broncos sent 11 players to the reserve/injured list in 2013, tied for 8th most in the NFL. The Seahawks managed to stay relatively healthy, outside of the lingering injuries to Percy Harvin (WR) and yet another long-term injury to Sidney Rice (WR).
| Item | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 Free Agents | SEA | 19 (15 unrestricted) |
| DEN | 23 (17 unrestricted) | |
| Undrafted Free Agents | SEA | 23 (7 starters) |
| DEN | 16 (7 starters) | |
| 2013 Injured Reserve | SEA | $12,197,676 (7 players) |
| DEN | $26,340,115 (11 players) |
Related Articles:
- Spotrac’s 2013 All-Value NFL Team
- Joel Corry’s look at How the Broncos Got Here
- Forecasting Richard Sherman’s Next Contract
- Bill Barnwell’s Super Bowl Swan Song
