The Denver Broncos are still, by far, the best team in the AFC West, even with the inactive free agency period thus far. Sure, the Broncos have resigned most of their own guys, but they are now the last team that will sign an external free agent, whenever that comes.
Denver won 14 games in the 2025 NFL Season and won the division for the first time since the 2015 season. They were also able to sweep the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and split the season series against the Los Angeles Chargers. It's clear that Denver is the team to beat in this division, and it should be that way again in 2026.
The Denver Broncos can only laugh as the Chiefs trade for Justin Fields
On Monday, the New York Jets and Chiefs finalized a deal that will send Justin Fields to the Chiefs to backup Patrick Mahomes. Yes, you read that right:
Trade: the New York Jets are finalizing a deal that will send QB Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, pending a physical, per ESPN sources. Other teams were interested, but Fields’ preference was to go to Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/HFgFODMi0r
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2026
Fields, recently turning 27, was a quarterback that many Broncos fans did want the team to draft back in the 2021 NFL Draft, but Denver clearly dodged a bullet here. Fields has a 16-37 record as a starter and went 2-7 in nine starts for the Jets in 2025.
Fields threw for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns, one interception, and actually had -10 passing yards when he faced the Broncos defense earlier in the 2025 regular season. For years now, Fields has been a quarterback who can be a great threat with his legs, but he's a bottom-tier passer, period.
He'll now come in and backup Mahomes, and given that Mahomes is recovering from a major knee injury, it's not a guarantee that he'll be 100 percent ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season. Ideally, Fields is in the lineup at least one time that the Broncos play the Chiefs this coming season, as it would feel like a guaranteed victory.
Kansas City continues to have a horrendous offseason, as they overpaid for Kenneth Walker III in free agency and saw both Bryan Cook and Jaylen Watson depart in free agency. Not only that, but they traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, so most of their starting secondary is now gone.
Frankly, the Chiefs are getting worse, and this type of move, believe it or not, does make the team worse. The Broncos haven't done much of anything in free agency, but if their AFC West rivals continue to make moves like this, Denver will be in a great spot in 2026.