GM of the Broncos Hints at Offseason Trades to Accumulate Draft Picks
Six picks total—including the No. 12 overall pick—will be made by the Denver Broncos in the NFL draft in 2024. Although the draft is always significant, the Broncos will find it even more so this year.
According to almost the limit, the Broncos are already expected to make almost $30 million over the salary limit. The Broncos would face an NFL single-season record of $85 million in dead money on the salary cap if they dismissed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson as a pre-June 1 cut.
In the event that Wilson is selected after June 1st, the Broncos would still be facing $35.4 million in dead money in 2024 alone. This squad is severely cap-constrained, so general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton must maximize each draft selection and search far and wide for college free agents.
Paton reminded everyone how the Broncos prefer to hoard draft selections and stressed the importance of this year’s draft at his end-of-season news conference on Tuesday. To get more, he even hinted at possible exchanges.
“It is imperative that we focus on the draft,” said Paton. “We have six options and are selecting highly. There is more we could have. We like selections, you know that. We’ll proceed accordingly.
The Broncos will not be able to take advantage of the initial wave of free agency this year because of their lack of salary space and the burdensome nature of Wilson’s deal, according to Paton. However, the general manager continued to express optimism that the Broncos would have the “flexibility” to make the required adjustments because of the salary-cap magic that vice president of football operations Rich Hurtado can work.
Paton described the potential dead-cap consequences of Wilson’s release as “severe.” “Our [salary] cap is managed by Rich Hurtado, so we’re ready for any eventuality. Either way, we’ll be able to adjust and do what’s necessary. Unlike last year, we won’t be part of the first wave of free agency. You can’t do it every year. When it comes to the positions and players we attempt to recruit, we’ll be extremely deliberate and detailed.”
Trades are the only way to get more draft choices unless the NFL grants a club compensatory selections. In order to accumulate additional selections, the Broncos may choose to hold onto a number of experienced candidates in the stock market.
Paton will undoubtedly hope that someone calls him about Wilson, but any potential trade interest will be smothered by the same burdensome deal that keeps the Broncos salary cap in place. Plus, NFL clubs realize the Broncos have no option but to release Wilson after his demotion came with some pushback and possibly damaged the QB’s sentiments toward the franchise.
Wilson will soon become a free agent; why would an NFL club give up draft choices or players for him and accept that absurd contract? Of course, that inquiry is rhetorical.
The Broncos have many players under contract, including left tackle Garett Bolles, safety Justin Simmons, who was selected to the Pro Bowl, wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, and cornerback Patrick Surtain II.Although Paton has made it clear that he intends to retain Surtain in a Broncos jersey for many years to come, the young corner would undoubtedly fetch the most price in a trade out of all the players in the NFL with any degree of trade value.
But such a haul would undoubtedly aid the Broncos in their quest to choose a young quarterback in the 2024 draft and address roster gaps. In the first season, Payton had a significant impact on the Broncos, increasing the team’s victory total by three games.
The Broncos have a reliable option at cornerback, which makes him a cornerstone position. However, it was reportedly going to need two first-round selections or more for Denver to even consider selling Surtain.
But the Broncos’ massive quarterbacking void is holding up any further advancement Payton may be able to contribute to. Even if the quarterback improved numerous important numbers in 2023, like his touchdown-to-interception ratio (26-to-8), it seems that the Broncos still believe that the Russ experiment under Payton was a failure.
Without a seasoned quarterback, the Broncos do not have the cap-space firepower to fix the QB issue. And it could be a compassionate mercy from the Football Gods because, for too long, the Broncos have attempted to make hay with one reclamation project or stopgap after another behind center.
Since Peyton Manning put up his cleats, Wilson has unquestionably been Denver’s greatest quarterback, but that’s a relative claim. The Broncos’ best and only chance, given the lack of a free-agent franchise quarterback, is to choose No. 12 overall in the 2024 draft.
The Broncos might be within striking distance but still on the outside looking in with that No. 12 choice, depending on which quarterback prospect Payton determines is the greatest fit for his system. Thus, a trade-up in this year’s selection cannot be completely ruled out.
The Broncos now own a first-round selection after being without one for two years straight as a result of the Wilson and Payton deals, respectively. However, in order to advance into, say, the top-3 of the draft, Paton and Payton would need to be prepared to jeopardize their short-term future since doing so would require at least this year’s day-one selection in addition to a 2025 first- and second-round choice (the Broncos do not own a 2024 round-two pick).
However, Payton and company could consider it a minor price to pay if it meant the Broncos had a legitimate solution at quarterback, the most important position in all of professional sports, for the next ten years. Caleb Williams of USC, Drake Maye of North Carolina, and Jayden Daniels of LSU are the three quarterbacks in the 2024 class that are generally regarded as the best.
The Broncos will need to accumulate additional selections if they want to move up the draft board, particularly if they intend to address some of the other critical roster gaps that still exist. The Broncos may have a very busy offseason.
When it comes to moving players for picks, Bolles and Simmons may be particularly alluring since they are both experienced players approaching the end of their contracts. Sutton will be there in two years. To clear up immediate financial space, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Broncos extend all three players.
Jeudy is a very useful trade candidate. The fact that he was once selected in the first round suggests that he still has unrealized potential, has shown signals of dissatisfaction, and still has value given that his draft pedigree is all in place.
