"After six seasons in Denver, including five in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, cornerback Champ Bailey would love to return for a seventh year.

"Oh yeah," he said.

Whether or not he does return, well, not even he knows.

"Nothing's definite," he said. "All I know is when it's time for me to work, I go work and I work hard. I do whatever I can to improve myself every yea,r and that's what I'm going to do this offseason, whether it's here or not."

Bailey is under contract for next season, but his $9.5 million price tag could be too steep. On Monday, head coach Josh McDaniels said he expects Bailey back.

"He's been a Bronco for awhile, and I'd love to have him be a Bronco as long as I'm here," McDaniels said. "He's a key component to our defense. I think he will be going forward. We look forward to that."

If Bailey does return, he hopes to see the Broncos go through some changes. He said he has thoughts on what needs to change to get the Broncos into the playoffs, but didn't want to share those thoughts with the media.

He does plan to share his ideas with McDaniels, though.

"I would feel like it's my duty to do that, and I know everybody in this locker room would feel the same way," Bailey said. "It would do no justice for me to bite my tongue on anything I've got to say."

Bailey did say he believes the Broncos have the potential to be a winning team, but added, "I don't want this to be potentially a good thing three years from now. I want it to be a good thing next year.""