Sports commentator Colin Cowherd floated an insane trade idea on his show this week that involves the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos. The fact that people are already talking about something like this is incredibly unfortunate.
Colin Cowherd, who has been a huge fan of Russell Wilson for a while, has been critical of him and the Denver Broncos during this season. On his show this week, he proposed an insane trade involving the Broncos and the Cardinals, who have a QB of their own in Kyler Murray.
Russell Wilson for Kyler Murray? @ColinCowherd is just throwing it out there... pic.twitter.com/Kj5kAedmEO
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) October 18, 2022
Yep. This left me almost speechless that someone would even consider making this suggestion, but here we are. Both Murray and Wilson have had rough starts to their 2022 season. They are similar in size and skill set. Murray is nearly 10 years younger and clearly has a longer career ahead of him. Wilson is what Kyler Murray might look like when he reaches that point in his career.
Would the Broncos make this trade in any universe?
I’m going to preface this by saying that the Denver Broncos would not make this trade in this universe or any other one. However, the trade in a literal and contractual sense. Russell Wilson has a slightly higher average annual value on his new extension than Murray does, but they both rank near the very top of QB contracts.
If Murray was traded this coming offseason, like Wilson, it would have to be designated as a post-June 1st trade. The Cardinals would have to eat about $13,000,000 in dead money and they would save $3,000,000. As for the Broncos, they would have to eat $14,000,000 in dead money and save $8,000,000.
Financially, it can be done, but the dead cap charges would be very high. Murray’s cap number in 2023 would be about $16,000,000, and Wilson’s would be $22,000,000. Both QBs are in tough coaching situations.
It seems that the Cardinals reluctantly gave Murray his contract extension. There was a bit of drama this past offseason, and their head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, looks to be headed out the door soon. To me, there is clearly some tension.
As for Wilson and the Broncos, I’m not sure either party thought it was going to be this rough, and I have to think that deep down, Russell Wilson has already lost confidence and trust in Nathaniel Hackett. Perhaps both QBs would feel a bit more comfortable with a change of scenery?
Fixing your Denver Broncos: A comprehensive plan in 2022
The Denver Broncos need fixing, and it's clear what the team's issues are. Here is a step by step plan of attack to fix the franchise.
It would likely come with coaching changes as well. Again, I am not advocating for the Denver Broncos to trade Russell Wilson already, but the fact that prominent figures in the sports world would suggest something like this is quite worrisome.