In about six weeks, the Denver Broncos, along with 31 other teams, will embark on the free agency period, the most active time of the NFL offseason. The Broncos did manage to get a bit aggressive last offseason, notably signing Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, and Evan Engram.
Well, with the team having made a ton of strides in 2025 and seeing Bo Nix develop into a slam-dunk franchise quarterback, the aggression is likely going to kick up a notch. Many Broncos fans and other folks in and around the NFL landscape have identified the team as a candidate to swing a major trade this offseason.
And the one name that seems to be floating around the Broncos the most in discussions is Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, AJ Brown. This would be a controversial move, but we outlined three reasons why the team must make this trade in the offseason.
Why the Denver Broncos have to trade for AJ Brown this offseason
Trade cost should be extremely doable for the Broncos
AJ Brown, back during the 2022 NFL Draft, was traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 18th and 101st overall picks in that year's draft. Those picks were a mid-first-round selection and a late-third-round selection. That move was also made four years ago, before Brown agreed to his initial massive extension with Philly, which turned out to be worth $25 million per year.
Four years later, not only is Brown still one of the most dominant pass-catchers in the NFL, but he's surely not going to be able to fetch another first and third-round pick. Not only is Brown on a massive contract, but he's also set to play in his age-29 season.
The Broncos would not have to give up their first-round pick in 2026 to acquire Brown - common sense would tell us that he's going to cost less to acquire now than back in 2022. A package that comes out to roughly a second-round pick is likely going to be enough to swing an AJ Brown trade.
AJ Brown is a game-changing, WR1 that Denver's been missing for years
Brown has been in the NFL since 2019 and has had at least 1,000 yards in all but one year of his career, which was the 2021 season. That year also happened to be the year where he played in just 13 games. He was on pace for another 1,000-yard season had he played all 17 games.
Brown has had no fewer than 7 touchdown receptions in each of the last four seasons and had a career-hight 1m496 yards and 11 touchdowns back in 2022. Simply put, Brown is an elite, productive, and game-changing player at the wide receiver position with years of experience to back this up.
He's caught 524 receptions for 8,029 yards and 56 touchdowns in just seven years in the NFL. The Broncos just do not have this caliber of player on the team. Pairing up AJ Brown with Courtland Sutton as the top two options in the wide receiver room would put a ton of strain on opposing defensive backs, as Sutton's skillset translates perfectly into a WR2 role alongside Brown.
A move like this maximizes Bo Nix's rookie contract window
When a team is in a position like the Broncos are, the time to get aggressive is now. Had Bo Nix not broken his ankle in the Divisional Round, the Broncos are very likely preparing to face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. Heck, the Broncos did almost beat the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game with a backup quarterback.
Denver is as close as an NFL franchise can get to being a Super Bowl team, so the Broncos have no other choice but to get even more aggressive this offseason. Furthermore, Russell Wilson's dead cap is off the books after 2025, so the Broncos won't be bogged down by that financially, which will allow the front office to execute a major financial move like a trade for AJ Brown.