Denver Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton had a pretty good year in 2013. He was able to score four sacks last season which is more than can be said about some players in the NFL. The only downside to his career with the Broncos is his salary as he’s making far less than other players.

The Denver Post reports that Knighton signed a two-year $4.5 million contract with the Broncos in 2012 that will see him getting paid $2.5 million this year. That’s chump change in comparison to players like Paul Soliai. He’s making $11 million this year with the Atlanta Falcons.

Knighton must be feeling pretty jealous of these players as he got locked into a cheap contract. After all, he joined the Broncos after being benched by Jacksonville Jaguars. He wasn’t a very productive player at that point and the Broncos needed somebody to take up space. After a successful 2013, you’d think Knighton would want to renegotiate for better pay and renegotiate he did.

After all, Knighton is the guy who sacked Tom Brady:

The only problem is that the Broncos weren’t in a position to do so as it was already spending millions on other players.

According to The Denver Post, the Broncos are spending $32 million this year on defensive end DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Aqib Talib and strong safety T.J. Ward. There’s just no room in the budget to accommodate a pay raise for a defensive tackle in the final year of his contract.

The Broncos are also likely to spend quite a bit of money this year on upgrading its offensive lineup:

With all that being said, Knighton isn’t just going to abandon ship. He says that he’s going to honor his contract with the Broncos:

“I’m definitely going to honor the contract. I want to get something done and I’d like to get something done here. I don’t want to bounce around. But I’m at the point now where once the season starts, I’m just strictly football.”

Besides, Knighton and the rest of the team will likely want revenge for the embarrassing loss they suffered against the Seattle Seahawks at this year’s Super Bowl. He’ll get his chance on August 7 as the Broncos will be playing against the Seahawks in their first game of the year.

Image via Wikimedia Commons