And we're off. The 2025 NFL offseason is officially underway with a couple of major moves announced at the NFL Scouting Combine, including the Los Angeles Rams re-signing quarterback Matthew Stafford and the San Francisco 49ers trading wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders.
The Denver Broncos weren't really even in the picture on Samuel, and the Commanders may have had a bit of an unfair advantage considering their connection with GM Adam Peters having worked in San Francisco for years under John Lynch in San Francisco. Even with that in mind, Denver Broncos fans have every right to be a little antsy or even frustrated after seeing the Commanders acquire a player of Samuel's caliber for the low price of a 5th-round pick.
It's not about missing out on Samuel so much as the Commanders discovered a young quarterback and they are going after upgrades in the playmaker department without hesitation.
Commanders getting aggressive looking for help for Jayden Daniels
Washington is taking on the remainder of Deebo Samuel’s contract and paying his full $17.55 million salary for the 2025 season, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2025
The financial aspect of this kind of a deal was likely a massive hangup for most teams that would have otherwise wanted to be involved, and certainly for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos could afford to pay Samuel that money, but they already have a receiver -- Courtland Sutton -- occupying $20 million (and then some) on the 2025 salary cap.
This move by the Commanders was made prior to the NFL offseason's official start date, which is on March 12. Trades can be agreed upon before March 12, and NFL free agents can begin negotiating with other clubs as soon as March 10, also known as the "legal negotiating period".
The decision by the Commanders to trade for a player like Samuel is the kind of energy the Broncos need to match. You can look at a number of examples in recent history of teams going after playmakers for their young quarterbacks and how that paid massive dividends quickly. You can go all the way back to the Bills adding Stefon Diggs via trade and how much that helped Josh Allen. You can look at last year's massive offseason haul for the Houston Texans.
Now the Commanders are doing it for Jayden Daniels and there are plenty of other recent examples. The Eagles trading for AJ Brown after discovering Jalen Hurts was their guy at quarterback is another huge one.
The point is, when you know you've found a quarterback, you need to be aggressive in finding talent to surround him. Sean Payton said recently the Broncos like their receiver group more than people may assume, and while there's nothing wrong with player development, you can't pass on proven talent 100 percent of the time.
As George Paton stated at the Combine, the Broncos will be "measured" but there's a different level of aggressiveness you have to show when you know you've found your quarterback. The Broncos need to match this energy from the Commanders, even if they aren't trading late-round picks for a receiver. The Comanders clearly believe they've found their quarterback and are proving it by trading for a stud like Deebo Samuel, understanding the inherent risk.
What will the Broncos do to surround Bo Nix with talent this offseason after that was a clear problem area in 2024?