Matt Prater ‘a little surprised’ that Broncos released him

Matt Prater expressed his surprise and disappointment at the fact that the Denver Broncos made the decision to release him on Saturday.

The Denver Broncos looked like they were waiting for stud kicker Matt Prater to serve his four-game suspension so that they could re-insert him into the lineup.

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Either that plan changed or it was never the plan in the first place, because the Broncos released Prater on Sunday and will move forward with Brandon McManus at kicker.

This news caught everybody off guard, though one imagines that nobody was more surprised than Prater himself. That was reflected in Prater’s comments after learning the news on Saturday (courtesy of the Denver Post):

"“I’m a little surprised,” Prater said from Florida. “The Broncos look like they’re going to do some great things this year. It’s too bad I won’t be a part of it.”"

Prater had previously been signed to a lucrative deal by kicker standards. He was due to make $2.12 million this season. That number seems to indicate that the Broncos thought he was going to be part of their plans as well. When you consider the money involved, you wonder if the Broncos changed course after the suspension was handed down.

Broncos’ Executive Vice President John Elway sent well wishes to Prater.

I want to thank Matt Prater for his many seasons w/the Broncos. He made a lot of big kicks for us & we wish him all the best in the future.
— John Elway (@johnelway) October 3, 2014

Matt Prater has been an effective kicker the last number of seasons, as evidenced by that contract. There should be a number of teams interested in his services, perhaps even a contending team. Prater might not be a part of the Broncos, but he could be part of a run to the playoffs with another team.

Detroit Lions, anybody?

Matt Prater expressed his surprise and disappointment at the fact that the Denver Broncos made the decision to release him on Saturday.

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