Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has conceded that his side could be constrained by their budget in their pursuit of free agents.

The Broncos have been one of the most active teams in the free-agent market in recent years, signing players such as Peyton Manning, Wes Welker, DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib.

However, Elway has admitted that the club could be restricted this season due to their priority to sign All-Pro wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to a long-term deal.

"That all comes down to where our budget is, and I think that the bottom line is our philosophy to build in the draft and then add with free agency," Elway told reporters.

"We've just been fortunate in the fact that we've been able to in the free-agency market get some very good, high-profile players.

"But we're always, no matter what it is, we're always going to try to get better as a football team and stay within what the budget tells us to stay in, but try to find the right guys for the Denver Broncos."

The Broncos were knocked out of the playoffs in the divisional round by the Indianapolis Colts.