Safety P.J. Locke wants to return so badly to the Broncos that he might be willing to take a pay cut.

Locke made a base salary of $3.49 million in 2025, the second year of a two-year, $7 million contract he signed in March 2024. But that deal was signed when he was projected to be a starter.

Locke started all 15 games he played in 2024 but lost his job to Talanoa Hufanga in 2025. He becomes a free agent in March and was asked if he would be willing to return to Denver on a reduced salary.

“It doesn’t matter how it shakes out,’’ Locke said in an interview with The Denver Gazette.

After all, Locke, who first joined the Broncos on the practice squad in 2019, really wants to return.

“I obviously want to be back here,’’ said Locke, who turns 29 on Feb. 12 and was Denver’s oldest safety in 2025. “I would love to retire here. But I just got to see how it goes.”

Locke helped his cause late in the season as he played well after starter Brandon Jones was lost for the season with a pectoral injury suffered Dec. 14 against Green Bay. He started the final three regular-season games and Denver’s two playoff games alongside Hufanga.

Locke had an interception, a forced fumble and nine tackles in the Broncos’ 33-30 overtime win over Buffalo in a divisional playoff game. He added three tackles and played a role holding Drake Maye to just 86 passing yards in last Sunday’s 10-7 loss in the AFC Championship Game.

“P.J. was ready when his number was called,’’ said defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, who played with Locke at Texas from 2016-18 and has been his Broncos teammate the past two seasons. “He stepped up to the plate, and he did a great job for us.”

While Locke was obviously disappointed that the Broncos came up one game shy of Super Bowl LX, he had plenty to be thankful for with how matters went late in the season. After all, he had played with severe back pain in 2024 that jeopardized his career before he had spinal fusion surgery last January.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to play football again,’’ said Locke, who, after the win over the Bills, had gone into detail about his road back.

The Broncos last March signed Hufanga to a three-year, $39 million contract, which meant Locke would be going to the bench if he was able to play again. Locke recovered well enough to be Denver’s No. 3 safety for the bulk of the season behind Jones and Hufanga, who was named second-team All-Pro.

“Us signing Huf and obviously being (a starter), I had to mentally prepare myself for that, but I’m just glad I handled it the best way I could and was able to still learn,’’ Locke said. “I learned from Huf. I learned how Huf just played so calm and with this stillness.”

When Jones got injured, Locke was ready. In his first start of the season, he had six tackles on Dec. 21 against Jacksonville.

“When B.J. went down, I was able to step in and I feel like I did what I had to do,’’ Locke said.

Roach wasn’t surprised. Not only has he known Locke well since their college days, but he also spent significant time with him last spring when he was recovering from his back surgery.

“I’ve been telling P.J. since we were in college that he’s one of the toughest workers I’ve ever seen,” Roach said. “We were here the whole offseason in the locker room seeing him every day, and I said, ‘There’s going to come a moment that you’re going to be built for.’ … I said everything is going to come full circle. … Even with everything that he went through with his situation (of returning from back surgery and losing his starting job), he still was the leader of that (safety) group.”

Now, Locke hopes to be back with the safety group in 2026.

“Whatever happens, I definitely want to be here as a Bronco,’’ Locke said.