Paton on FA ILB Alex Singleton: 'Would Love to Have Him Back'

Alex Singleton is one of 17 Broncos players scheduled for unrestricted free agency when the NFL's signing period begins March 15. But if Denver has its druthers, the veteran inside linebacker won't make it to the open market.

“He’s just a baller," general manager George Paton said of Singleton on Tuesday. "We signed him to be a really good special teamer, compete for the starting job, and didn’t even start. He started the year and then he just took off. He’s just a football player. We’d love to have Alex back. He’s a great leader, has a nose for the ball, players gravitate towards him. We’d like to have Alex back.”

Indeed, the Broncos last March inked Singleton, a former Canadian Football League All-Star, to a meager one-year, $1.115 million contract that included only $150,000 guaranteed. To say he outperformed the deal would be a massive understatement.

Playing in all 17 games (12 starts), Singleton led the 5-12 club both in combined (163) and solo tackles (101), adding three quarterback hits, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble. The 29-year-old finished as Pro Football Focus' No. 10 ILB, with the sixth-best run-stopping grade (82.6), among 81 qualifiers.

"I’ve enjoyed every minute of [my time in Denver]," Singleton said after the Jan. 8 season finale. "It wasn’t the [amount of] wins we wanted, but we had a lot of fun."

Under new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, the Broncos may put forth a concerted effort to retain Singleton, who won't ask for market-resetting money.

Mile High Huddle salary cap analyst Thomas Hall previously speculated that Denver's "best" offer to Singleton could fall in the two-year, $14 million range.