J.K. Dobbins contract details: Former Chargers running back joins revamped Broncos backfield

J.K. Dobbins is on the move, and he’s staying in the AFC West.

The veteran running back has agreed to a free-agent contract with the Broncos, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Dobbins has been in the league since 2020, and Denver will mark the third team of his career so far.

The running back position had a bit of resurgence last year, as free-agent backs added a lot of value to their new teams. Dobbins was part of that trend. The former Ravens running back signed a one-year deal with the Chargers in 2024, and he went on to have a career-best year in most statistical categories.

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Still just 26, Dobbins now joins the Broncos’ backfield as a legitimate threat to take over the team’s lead RB1 role in 2025.

Here’s a look at Dobbins’ new contract with Denver.

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J.K. Dobbins contract details

• Team: Broncos
• Years: 1
• Value: $5.25 million

This will be Dobbins’ third contract in the NFL, and it will be another one-year deal. Pelissero reported that the contract will be worth $5.25 million.

Dobbins signed a four-year rookie contract worth $5.9 million between 2020 and 2023. Then, last year, Dobbins signed a one-year deal with the Chargers worth $1.9 million.

Even with his strong bounce-back season in 2024, Dobbins was only able to secure another one-year deal after remaining a free agent deep into the NFL offseason. While his new deal is worth more than his 2024 contract, Dobbins will be seeking to earn a multi-year deal in 2026 with a strong year in Denver.

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J.K. Dobbins age

Despite playing five seasons in the NFL, Dobbins is still just 26, and he doesn’t turn 27 until December.

J.K. Dobbins stats

Dobbins has dealt with serious injuries throughout his career, as he’s only played in two full seasons since entering the league in 2020. As a rookie, Dobbins was solid for Baltimore, recording 805 rushing yards in 15 games.

However, from 2021-23, Dobbins faced several serious injuries. First, he tore his ACL during the 2021 preseason, forcing him to miss that entire year. Then, Dobbins only played eight games in 2022 as he battled the after-effects of the injury.

In 2023, Dobbins was healthy to begin the season, but he tore his Achilles during Week 1, ending his season after just eight carries

As a free agent last year, Dobbins signed a one-year deal with the Chargers, but the running back was mostly healthy in what became a resurgent season. In 13 games, Dobbins set his career high for attempts and rushing yards in a season, and he tied his career high of nine rushing touchdowns. He was also a finalist for the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2024.

J.K. Dobbins career earnings

As a Ravens second-round pick in 2020, Dobbins earned $5.9 million with Baltimore over his first four seasons. Last year, as a free agent, Dobbins signed a one-year, $1.9 million deal with the Chargers, raising his career earnings number to $7.8 million, according to Spotrac.

Dobbins is now reportedly set to make $5.25 million, but he likely has his eyes set on securing a long-term deal in 2026 if he performs well for the Broncos.

Broncos RB depth chart

As Dobbins transitions to his second-straight AFC West squad, he’ll make an intriguing addition to the Broncos’ backfield. While it’s no guarantee that Dobbins will start, he’s by far the most proven option among Sean Payton’s running backs.

Javonte Williams was Denver’s leading rusher in 2024, but he totaled just 513 rushing yards in what became a split backfield. With that lead role up for grabs, Dobbins would seem to make sense as the Broncos’ new RB1 due to the fact that he has two career seasons with over 800 rushing yards. No other back on the team has even one.

However, if any player is going to threaten Dobbins for the RB1 job, it’s rookie RJ Harvey. The Broncos drafted Harvey out of UCF in the second round of April’s NFL Draft, and with that kind of high capital, Payton may want to utilize Harvey from the jump. With Harvey being younger, he could eventually wind up taking control of the backfield as the starter.

Denver has been known to use multiple running backs under Payton, though, so it’s also realistic to expect that Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin will play somewhat significant roles in 2025. Both logged over 75 carries in 2024 and offer upside as pass-catchers.

As Dobbins lands in Denver, the expectation is that he’ll receive the largest bulk of the Broncos’ 2025 carries, but there are certainly other threats to eat into his workload this season.