The Denver Broncos’ 2019-2020 offseasons weren’t all bad but could go down as two of the worst in franchise history. We look at the top 3 worst moves.
In the NFL, it doesn’t matter if you add to your team through the draft, trades, or free agency — there is a significant level of risk involved no matter what.
The Denver Broncos made their fair share of bad moves in the last handful of years in the post-Peyton Manning era, some really notably bad ones in the 2019 and 2020 offseasons.
Looking back at some of the moves that were made, three, in particular, stand out among the rest.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane at the worst moves the Broncos made in the forgettable 2019 and 2020 offseasons.
Denver Broncos worst move no. 3: Trading for CB AJ Bouye
How the Denver Broncos acquired AJ Bouye: TRADE
Early on in the 2020 offseason, the Denver Broncos swung a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire cornerback AJ Bouye, a deal that felt like a bargain for the Broncos at the time.
Bouye was not yet 30 years old and had a history of Pro Bowl-caliber play.
There were reports at the time this trade went down that former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio had really taken a liking to Bouye and wanted the Bears to go after him while he was the defensive coordinator in Chicago.
Of course, that marriage never happened but Fangio got Bouye in 2020 for a relatively reasonable price at the time.
Unfortunately, instead of getting a rookie on a four-year contract with players like L’Jarius Sneed, Trevis Gipson, and Darnell Mooney available, the Broncos got seven games out of AJ Bouye who wasn’t consistently available for the team.
Bouye was let go after the 2020 season and wound up signing with the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
Denver Broncos worst move no. 2: Trading for QB Joe Flacco
How the Denver Broncos acquired Joe Flacco: TRADE
I still cannot believe this trade actually happened.
Before the Denver Broncos traded a fourth-round pick for Joe Flacco, there were plenty of discussions about the proper way to move on from 2018 starter Case Keenum.
Among the worst options at the time was the potential of acquiring Flacco and the remainder of his salary.
The Denver Broncos and specifically the brain trust of John Elway, Matt Russell, and Vic Fangio, apparently disagreed.
Flacco was brought in to stabilize the QB position but he just became another goofy animation on the old and tired carousel.
Denver Broncos fans don’t have the fondest memories of Flacco to begin with as they fell victim to his other-worldly postseason run back in the 2012 NFL season, of which we will mention nothing further.
Because of the general disdain toward Flacco anyway, the fact that he made $18.5 million from the Denver Broncos for what he accomplished is absolutely disgusting.
After less than one season with the team, the Broncos moved on from Flacco and justifiably so. Flacco was absolutely abysmal in his eight games with the Broncos, throwing just six touchdown passes with five interceptions and a whopping eight fumbles.
This was one of those moves where the general consensus was that it would be a bad move even in idea form. Fans hated it after it happened, and they turned out to be right.
With all due respect to Flacco and his career accomplishments, this was a move I wish the Denver Broncos had never made.
Denver Broncos worst move no. 1: Signing RT Ja’Wuan James
How the Denver Broncos acquired Ja’Wuan James: 2019 free agency
Back in the 2019 offseason, I will be the first to admit that I thought signing offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James would be a good idea.
The justification was there on paper.
- Young
- Former first-round pick
- Major position of need on the OL
- Broncos had the cap space
It turns out, there were reasons beyond football that the Miami Dolphins decided to let Ja’Wuan James hit free agency at the expiration of his rookie contract in 2019.
James signed a four-year deal with the Denver Broncos worth $51 million with $32 million in guarantees.
He started the season opener against the Raiders in 2019 and got his knee rolled up on by Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict in a play that would start an unfortunate chain of events in James’ saga with the Broncos.
Despite being medically cleared by the team, James didn’t feel comfortable coming back to the field and his 2019 season was all but lost. He made appearances in three games total for the Denver Broncos that year, and that was all we’d ever see of him.
In the 2020 offseason, James was among the players who opted out of the season due to the pandemic.
His contract deferred to 2021 so the Broncos banked once again on him being the starting right tackle for that season because they were contractually tied to him.
After working out at the team facility all offseason, the NFLPA issued a statement suggesting that players shouldn’t be working out at team facilities until proper protocol was in place, and James took their advice and left.
He then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury away from the Broncos’ facility, which has caused an interesting situation where the Broncos could legally void his guaranteed money for an injury suffered away from the team facility.
The Broncos released James and he signed with the Baltimore Ravens, where he’s competing for a spot in 2022.
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Looking back at this whole saga, there’s no doubt that James is one of the worst free agent signings in Denver Broncos history, and one of the worst signings in recent NFL history.