The Denver Broncos are going to release cornerback Champ Bailey. He will be a free agent for the first time in his career.
Bailey was the Broncos longest tenured player. His salary for 2014 was $9 million. On March 15 he would have gotten a $1 million bonus for being on the roster. By releasing Bailey the Broncos will save $10 million in salary cap, according to USA Today.
"I'm good. It's bittersweet. Now I get to go see what is out there," Bailey said about his release. "I'm looking at the positive side of it."
He added, "I just want to see what people will want me to do. My vision is to still play corner, but I'm a little more open-minded about the season I had last year.I'm a corner at heart. If a situation made sense to play safety, then I would consider it."
Bailey was a first-round pick by the Washington Redskins in 1999. In 2004 the Redskins traded him to the Broncos for Clinton Portis. Last year was a tough one for Bailey as he had to deal with injuries. Last season he had 14 tackles and no interceptions, which is the lowest totals of his career, according to Pro Football Talk. However he did play in his first Super Bowl as the Broncos made it to the big game. Bailey is a seven-time All-Pro and has 12 Pro Bowl selections.
Bailey isn’t the only cornerback to be releases. CBS Sports reports that corners Cortland Finnegan, Dunta Robinson, and Asante Samuel have been let go as well. Bailey is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.