Veteran running back J.K. Dobbins signed with the Denver Broncos last June and has become a valuable member of the offense. Dobbins averaged five yards per carry in his first 10 games and has two 100-yard rushing performances this season.
Dobbins signed a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Broncos and has formed a quality pairing with second-round draft pick RJ Harvey. Dobbins suffered a foot injury against the Las Vegas Raiders, clouding his outlook vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.
Given Dobbins’s contributions, it would make sense to keep him around for a couple more years. But what would it take to re-sign him to a multi-year deal?
One thing to keep in mind about Dobbins is that he has a history of injuries. After running for 809 yards as a rookie in 2020, he missed the 2021 season, half the 2022 season, and all but one game in 2023 with injuries.
Dobbins’ one season with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 saw him play in 13 games with 11 starts, rushing for a career-high 905 yards. Thus far, Dobbins hasn’t missed a game for the Broncos, but his status for Week 11 against the Chiefs remains up in the air.
Because Dobbins has an injury history, it’s not a good idea to pay him too much. But it would be a good idea to give him a raise for 2026 while giving the Broncos some protection in the following years.
The ideal contract would be a three-year deal that would commit the Broncos to Dobbins in 2026, with some guaranteed money in 2027, but nothing guaranteed beyond 2027. The Broncos would need flexibility to get out of the deal in 2028, as that’s when Harvey would be eligible for an extension of his own.
The best comparison might be D’Andre Swift, a former second-round pick who signed with the Chciago Bears in 2024. He got three years at $24 million with $14M fully guaranteed upon signing and an additional $1.28M guaranteed for injury only in 2025.
A contract for Dobbins wouldn’t need to be structured the same way, but a three-year, $24M deal would be reasonable. If Dobbins were to get a $6M signing bonus, the Broncos could pay him a $4M base salary in 2026, then offer another $4M of a $7M base salary in 2027 that’s fully guaranteed.
That deal would leave the Broncos with a $7M base salary for Dobbins in 2028, but it wouldn’t be guaranteed. Cutting him that year would leave the Broncos with a $2M dead money charge from the pro-rated signing bonus.
It’s likely that the Broncos will hold off on any new contract for Dobbins until after the season. The Broncos might prefer to let him test the market, though it’s possible they could get a deal done before free agency gets underway.
Pairing Harvey with a veteran back is ideal, and Dobbins has shown he can be the veteran in that pairing. We’ll find out soon whether the Broncos see Dobbins as somebody who should stick around for a couple more seasons.
It is not a secret that former Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane has had a spectacular NHL career. The 36-year-old winger is continuing to make an impact with the Detroit Red Wings this season, too, as he has recorded two goals and seven points in eight games so far this season.
Patrick Kane (© Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images)
Kane had a solid game against the Anaheim Ducks in the Red Wings’ most recent contest on Nov. 13. The former Blackhawks forward recorded two assists in the matchup and hit a notable new milestone in the process.
With his two-point game against the Ducks, Kane has now recorded his 1,350th career NHL point. It took Kane 1,310 games to hit this major milestone, which shows just how incredible of a player he has been during his career.
Kane is now the 31st player in NHL history to reach 1,350 career points and is on the verge of passing legends like Guy Lafleur (1,353 points in 1,126 games) and Brendan Shanahan (1,354 points in 1,524 games) on the NHL’s all-time points list.
The majority of Kane’s career points came during his time with the Blackhawks, as he recorded 1,225 points in 1,161 games during his 16-year stint in Chicago.