Jeff Heuerman has million$ of reason$ to perform well over these final seven games.

The fourth-year tight end is in a walk year, scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next March, his rookie contract expiring. Considering the NFL's scarcity of productive TEs, he may play himself into a lucrative pay day — be it with the Broncos or another team.

Denver will do what it can to retain Heuerman's services. Plugged-in reporter Mike Klis of 9News said a "strong offer" is likely coming when the signing period opens for 2019.

"One-year starters are always difficult for any team to evaluate in an impending free agent’s market, but it would be a surprise if the Broncos didn’t make a strong offer to bring Heuerman back," Klis wrote.

Taking over as the starter after Jake Butt tore his ACL, Heuerman has logged 25 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns through nine games. In an out-of-nowhere performance against the Houston Texans in Week 9, he led the Broncos with 83 yards and a score on 10 receptions, as quarterback Case Keenum surprisingly made it a point to involve his 6-foot-5 pass-catcher.

“He’s a great player," Keenum said Wednesday. "He’s a great target and a big target. Not just that, but he’s smart. He knows how to use his body, good leverage and gets open. Tight ends like that, they’re really never covered. If they have good bodied leverage on somebody, even there’s a guy draped all over them, there’s still some area to throw the football. A guy like that that’s got great hands, it’s a nice security blanket.”

"Great" is a word tossed around often lately when describing Heuerman. Yes, that's an actual sentence you just read.

"He played great," general manager John Elway said in a radio interview last week. "He got the opportunity, too. He showed the strength and did a great job in the run game too, blocking also. That’s a very physical defense. They were going to make it very difficult on us to run the football with their safeties getting involved in the run game. But Jeff played very well and caught the ball very well. And really did a nice job of running with the ball after he caught it.”

A ballyhooed third-round draft choice in 2015, Heuerman missed his rookie campaign due to injury then was miscast behind Virgil Green for the past two years. He never blossomed into a game-changing — or even series-changing — player, but he never really had the chance to, either. A full audition.

He got it, albeit at someone else's expense. And the result is career highs across the board. Pro Football Focus rates him as the NFL's No. 30 TE among 67 qualifiers. That counts for something.



The Broncos have Butt and redshirted rookie Troy Fumagalli under contract in 2019. Heuerman can expect to hear their overtures, if nothing else.

