Saturday Morning Quarterback: Free Agency Rumors and the Denver Broncos

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Free agency doesn’t technically begin until Tuesday, March 12 but the negotiations, phone calls, media posturing and politicking are very much in full swing. Rumors are flying around too. One that has seemingly been around since before the Superbowl was played is particularly juicy. The Broncos are interested in Darrelle Revis.

Do the Broncos really want to go after the now recovering cornerback and potentially unload a first, second or third round pick for him? Even more frightening, would they be willing to go do worse and actually offer a combination of two picks for him?

Free agency offers so many possibilities but carries with it much danger. How much of your future do you give away for a shot at hoisting the Lombardi trophy? How much can you afford to spend this year in order to ensure you can maintain your team if in fact said trophy does not end up on your mantle piece come spring? While John Elway has received lots of praise for the way he has helped rebuild this team through wise draft maneuvering, his greatest achievement is the biggest free agent signing in the history of the NFL. The question now is will he try to make another big splash? Here are three questions that need to be asked.

How long will Peyton Manning be, well, Peyton Manning? If you’re of the mind that the Broncos know they need to win now then grabbing Revis makes a lot of sense. That Ravens playoff game hurt mostly because of the fact that it was Denver’s to win. However, the less immediate pain stems from the fact that every Bronco fan knows Peyton isn’t going to be here for long and no one truly knows how long he’ll hold up. Grabbing Revis and putting him on a Superbowl favorite with Peyton Manning playing for his very legacy sounds scary.

What can the Broncos get for Elvis Dumervil? Ah yes, the new development in Bronco land is the realization that Doom may be on the chopping block. Since negotiations to restructure Elvis’ deal seem to be going nowhere it may be him that ultimately does.  This is truly a sad development. When 9.5 and 11.5 sacks in consecutive years is considered a slump, you my friend are a bona fide stud. He had 17.5 in 2010. He is just extremely expensive for the Broncos to keep around and the organization should be able to unload him. There is a market for Dumervil and Denver should be able to garner some draft picks in return. Those picks could be used to supplement the picks they give away for Revis should they choose to go down that road.

What is Revis going to cost? Not that much! Revis should only cost Denver about $6 million. Wait… what? That’s right. There is a clause in Revis’ current contract stating that has the right to void his current contract next year if he doesn’t hold out in 2013. This means he has hardly any ability to negotiate with whichever team takes their chance on him once a trade is made. He can void his contract in 2014 and might be a headache to resign but if the Broncos spend wisely this off season they should have space if they want him.

The addition of Darrelle Revis is not imperative. This team, as is, is an odds on favorite to win the Superbowl. However, with Revis the Denver defense gets immediately better. Bronco fans can not be happy that Dumervil may be on the move but there are cheaper replacements out there and Von Miller is still here. Revis actually saves the team money and with the fruits of a Dumervil trade, wouldn’t inflict any future damage on the team. Manning has two, three years tops to win a Championship. Elway isn’t going to stop until he gets one.

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