New Denver Broncos general manager George Paton vowed at his introductory press conference that he was going to be “in” every deal and that he was going to be aggressive but not reckless when it comes to building the team into a contender.
It just so happens he has stepped into a general manager job in a year when quarterback rumors seem to be running more rampant than ever before.
As a matter of fact, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said before any quarterbacks had changed teams (three starters have since been traded) he felt like more than 18 teams would have different quarterback situations in 2021 than they did in 2020.
The Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams agreed to a blockbuster deal involving former no. 1 overall picks Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. The Philadelphia Eagles sent Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts.
Of course now, the primary focus of the rumor mill is Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has asked the team for a trade. Not only that, but it has been confirmed by Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson that Watson — who has a no-trade clause and can essentially pick where he wants to be traded — would be interested in the Broncos.
There are other big names that could be available for the right price.
Let’s be real, though. Until something crazy actually happens, it feels like even a trade of Deshaun Watson is remote because of how valuable these quarterbacks are to their respective franchises.
Though the chances are remote, and we cannot stress that enough, what if the Denver Broncos make teams offers they can’t refuse? What if the Denver Broncos are on the receiving end of a blockbuster quarterback trade in the 2021 offseason?
Although the focus lately has been on Deshaun Watson, there might be some additional options around the league worth looking into. Let’s take a look at four of them.
Denver Broncos 2021 blockbuster QB trade options
1. Russell Wilson, Seahawks (age: 32)
It seems weird to even be talking about the possibility of Russell Wilson being traded by the Seattle Seahawks, but is it an impossible idea at this point?
Maybe, maybe not.
Are the #Seahawks listening to offers on Russell Wilson? @MikeSilver gives us an update.
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 23, 2021
For Michael's full appearance: https://t.co/YRUiQ5frbD pic.twitter.com/010a1T5NQJ
This is a very interesting bit of info from Michael Silver about the Seahawks’ attitude towards the possibility of trading Wilson, which initially came up with Wilson wanting to be involved in picking the new offensive coordinator in Seattle as well as his frustration with the offensive line’s play in recent years.
According to Silver, the starting place for a Russell Wilson trade is three first-round picks. Let’s say the Denver Broncos offered them exactly that.
Broncos get:
- QB Russell Wilson
Seahawks get:
- 2021 1st-round pick (9th overall)
- 2022 1st-round pick
- 2023 1st-round pick
Would you pull the trigger on that deal?
If the Seahawks are willing to do it, how could you not do that?
Wilson is 32 and will not be 33 until November. He has never — and I cannot stress that enough, never — missed a game in the NFL, despite the Seahawks’ offensive line play being poor at times.
He was still playing at an MVP level last season even though his play dropped off in the second half of the season a bit.
Even if the Seahawks asked the Broncos for quarterback Drew Lock and another day two draft pick or two, who really cares about those picks if you keep the majority of your roster core intact?
The draft picks are unknown commodities. Russell Wilson is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback whose teams in the NFL have never won fewer than nine games. As a matter of fact, Wilson’s Seahawks have only ever won less than 10 games one time.
This is a guy who raises all boats and imagining him throwing to Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, and the rest of the offensive core weaponry in Denver?
That could be something else.
If the baseline price is three first-round picks but the return is Russell Wilson, the draft compensation is borderline negligible at that point.
A deal like this would require Wilson to force his way out of Seattle and because of his no-trade clause, he would essentially have to choose Denver as well.
Denver Broncos 2021 QB blockbuster trade ideas
2. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (age: 27, 28 in July)
If the Cowboys’ or Chiefs’ trade offers had been accepted instead of the Denver Broncos’ in the 2016 NFL Draft (for Paxton Lynch), Dak Prescott might be a member of the Denver Broncos already.
The Broncos — specifically John Elway, Gary Kubiak, and the top decision-makers — liked Prescott a lot in the 2016 NFL Draft circuit.
Those guys are all no longer in charge of deciding who is going to be the team’s quarterback, but that doesn’t mean George Paton doesn’t also like Prescott.
Prescott is coming off of a severe injury in a season where he was playing on the franchise tag. Essentially, Prescott is the prime example of why NFL players hate the franchise tag. How much bad blood is there between he and the Cowboys? At this point, nobody knows for sure (if there is any bad blood at all).
Prescott has been excellent in Dallas since his rookie season and was on pace to throw for nearly 6,000 yards last season in five games before he got hurt. He has progressed tremendously but coming off of injury (and multiple surgeries) there are serious question marks surrounding him right now.
The Cowboys’ reticence to give Prescott a long-term deal at this point is interesting, but it could perhaps pave the way for him out of Dallas and onto another team.
The Cowboys also have to consider the salary cap ramifications of keeping Prescott at the price that will be required.
Patrick Mahomes averages $45 million per year on his new deal with the Chiefs. The next highest is Deshaun Watson at $39 million per year. It’s likely Prescott is going to land between $38-40 million per season on his new deal considering tagging him for a second time in 2021 would require almost $38 million guaranteed from Dallas.
I don’t think there’s any way the Cowboys are letting Prescott just hit the market for nothing, but they could tag and trade him if they cannot agree on a long-term deal. What if the Broncos come calling here?
The baseline deal for franchise-tagged quarterbacks is two first-round picks. If a team slaps a player with the non-exclusive tag, that player can negotiate with other teams but a team would be required to surrender two first-round picks if they want to sign them.
The Cowboys could start the bidding there but Prescott’s injury last year might keep the price somewhat reasonable. Here’s a hypothetical deal.
Broncos get:
- QB Dak Prescott
Cowboys get:
- 2021 1st-round pick (9th overall)
- 2021 3rd-round pick (71st overall)
- 2022 1st-round pick
- QB Drew Lock
The Broncos could send the Cowboys back multiple first-round picks and sweeten the deal by adding in Drew Lock as well as a third-round pick in this year’s draft.
This would give the Cowboys back-to-back picks in the top 10 of the 2021 NFL Draft. They could use one of those picks on a quarterback or they could roll with Drew Lock and bring back Andy Dalton for another season.
Obviously, the Cowboys want to keep Prescott around but if negotiations begin to sour in the coming weeks, there’s a chance they could be persuaded to trade him if the price is right.
Denver Broncos 2021 blockbuster QB trade ideas
3. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (age: 32, 33 in August)
Although trading for Kirk Cousins might not thrill the fan base quite like some of the other possible moves the Denver Broncos could make, Cousins is a guy who has played pretty consistently good football over the last handful of years.
Prior to signing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, Cousins was the primary focus of the Denver Broncos’ offseason pursuits as he prepared to depart once and for all from the Washington Football Team.
Denver Broncos GM George Paton was obviously involved in bringing Cousins to Minnesota in what was, at the time, a pretty unprecedented and fully guaranteed contract.
The Vikings have since re-signed Cousins for a couple more years. At the age of 32, it’s clear that Cousins is what he is which is an above-average NFL starting quarterback and apparently those are not easy to come by.
What would it require to get a player like Cousins from the Vikings?
Broncos get:
- QB Kirk Cousins
- 2021 1st-round pick (14th overall)
- 2021 4th-round pick (116th overall)
Vikings get:
- QB Drew Lock
- 2021 1st-round pick (9th overall)
- 2021 2nd-round pick (40th overall)
Getting a little bit creative on this one, the Denver Broncos send their first- and second-round picks to the Vikings as well as quarterback Drew Lock in exchange for Cousins, the Vikings’ first-rounder, and a decent fourth-round pick.
This trade gets the Vikings back into the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft as well as pushing them into the top 10 picks in case they want to pursue a quarterback.
For the Broncos, you move down five spots from pick 9 to 14 in round one and from 40 to 116 to acquire Cousins.
With just two years left on his deal and the salary cap implications, the cost to acquire Cousins could get a little complicated but if a team is motivated to move a player, anything can happen.
This gives young offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak a player in Drew Lock to work with in Minnesota’s offense as well as the possibility for the Vikings to move on from Cousins’ contract and replenish their defense with better draft assets.
If Paton believes Cousins is a Super Bowl-caliber QB, he might as well try to bring him to Denver with all of the weapons the Broncos have.
Denver Broncos 2021 QB blockbuster trade options
4. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (age: 25, 26 in September)
If Deshaun Watson is traded by the Houston Texans, it is going to be the trade of all trades.
Watson is a 25-year-old MVP candidate at the most valued position in professional sports. Not only that, but he’s also in a long-term contract already, so a team is not going to have to both trade for him and sign him.
Right now, the Texans are not even answering calls on Deshaun Watson, yet somehow the idea of multiple defensive starters, multiple first-round picks, and multiple second-round picks has been thrown around.
Any trade involving Watson is going to look unfair for the team acquiring him on paper. It’s going to be an unprecedented trade return that beats any trade ever made in NFL history. The Denver Broncos were involved in a trade for a young quarterback, only they were on the other end of a player wanting out.
In 2009, Jay Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and quarterback Kyle Orton.
That was a deal that ultimately could have sent the Denver Broncos into a long-term black hole at the quarterback position if McDaniels hadn’t been fired in 2010 and Peyton Manning signed as a free agent in 2012.
Houston, understandably, isn’t interested in going into that same quarterback black hole. They have no interest in trading Watson, but they might have no other choice. He doesn’t want to play for them anymore and he’s standing his ground.
Further, Watson has a no-trade clause, so he can dictate where he goes.
If the Texans open up this can of worms, the Denver Broncos can make a competitive offer but they can’t offer the Texans any really reasonable assurance at the quarterback position in return. Can anyone, though?
Broncos get:
- QB Deshaun Watson
Texans get:
- OLB Bradley Chubb
- DL Dre’Mont Jones
- QB Drew Lock
- WR Tim Patrick
- 2021 1st-round pick (9th overall)
- 2021 2nd-round pick (40th overall)
- 2022 1st-round pick
- 2022 2nd-round pick
This trade gets the Texans multiple starters on both sides of the ball as well as four premium draft selections in the next two years. Currently, they have zero premium (1st or 2nd) round draft picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, so adding this kind of draft capital would undoubtedly be attractive.
Of the teams interested in trading for Watson, the Broncos and Carolina Panthers would probably have to offer the most when it comes to proven assets because they are out of range for QB1 or even QB2 or QB3 (most likely) in this draft class.
This trade would keep the Denver Broncos’ offensive core largely intact. It would take away their two most valuable young defensive assets, but the defense (in this scenario) would almost undoubtedly keep players like Von Miller, Justin Simmons, Shelby Harris, and others.
The Broncos would have to supplement in free agency and the mid-late rounds of the draft in the next two years to soften the blow of losing a Pro Bowl pass rusher in Bradley Chubb and a potential 2021 Pro Bowl player in Dre’Mont Jones.
The Texans would have to decide that Drew Lock is a viable option at least for the interim but this deal would also give them a really strong receiver in Tim Patrick, whose best opportunity to shine may not be in Denver going forward. Houston could have Patrick on a restricted free agent tender in 2021 and get him on a longer-term deal shortly thereafter.
It’s possible the Texans would require even more than this, perhaps asking the Denver Broncos for a player like Jerry Jeudy who is under contract for the next three years with an option for a fourth.
Whatever the case, is this a deal George Paton would look at and say it’s totally worth it? Watson solves your franchise quarterback issue for the foreseeable future and you aren’t going to be depleted of draft picks forever.
The question is — would the Texans accept a deal like this? Who knows?
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At this point, it feels less likely the Texans would do a deal but that could all change in a few weeks as the frenzy of the 2021 NFL offseason really gets underway.