The Denver Broncos' trade of former top-5 pick Bradley Chubb during the 2022 season was a milestone marker amidst one of the worst seasons in franchise history. After Chubb was traded, the Broncos finished with their worst record since the year before Chubb was drafted by the team, including an embarrassing loss on Christmas Day against the Rams that got Nathaniel Hackett fired.
At the time, the Chubb trade felt like an embarrassing way for the Broncos to save face after the debacle that was the Russell Wilson move. The Broncos didn't have a 1st-round pick in 2022 or 2023, and the Chubb trade was their way of recouping some desperately-needed assets.
Little did any of us know at the time that the trade to acquire Chubb would end up possibly saving the franchise. The Broncos acquired a first-round pick from the Dolphins in the 2023 NFL Draft in that Chubb trade that was later used to acquire head coach Sean Payton from the Saints.
A couple of years later, Chubb is confirming the Broncos made the right call with some rather concerning comments at Dolphins minicamp and OTAs...
Broncos fans should be thankful for blockbuster Bradley Chubb trade
Chubb told the media at Dolphins minicamp that players on the team were "lying" about embracing a culture change in 2024:
"I'm going to say last year, we were lying, honestly. Point blank, period. We felt it. We put our toe in the water, but we didn't dive all the way in. We didn't get all the way there with each other. We weren't making the effort to go the extra mile and I would say this year, we're doing that."
- Bradley Chubb (via NFL.com)
What's even more concerning about these comments is the response Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel gave when asked about it:
"It would have been awesome if he would have told me on the front end when they were lying."
- Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel
The Dolphins have been battling the idea that they are not a team that can have success outside of Miami and that their winning over the last handful of years (prior to 2024) was more a result of beating up on bad teams than anything else. People counted the Dolphins out in cold weather environments, calling into question their toughness.
The Dolphins getting beat and their offense being completely stifled in the brutal cold of Kansas City was all the evidence the detractors needed. Furthermore, there was plenty of discussion that Dolphins players did not respond well to the coaching of Vic Fangio, and the discord and lack of harmony between Fangio and the players in Miami was a big reason why he left after one season to take a lateral move with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Whom he helped win a Super Bowl.
Chubb is one of the veteran players being looked at to lead by example, and his comments about the team lying -- whether he means to themselves or just blatantly lying about their intent to change culture -- are indicative of a mess the Broncos are no longer dealing with. Head coach Sean Payton has effectively changed the culture in Denver after a number of ugly losing seasons in a row, including the aforementioned and dreadful 2022 campaign.
In hindsight, it seems incredible the Broncos were able to get the haul they ended up getting for Chubb back in 2022, especially because he required a new contract on top of it all. He's missed plenty of time due to injury and didn't play at all in the 2024 season.
Add in these comments and it's clear that Broncos fans everywhere should be ecstatic about a trade that no one really wanted to happen back in 2022.