The Denver Broncos must make a move to get a new quarterback on the roster for the 2024 NFL season considering the fact that the team seems to be going in the direction of cutting Russell Wilson and absorbing a record hit in dead cap money.
As preparation ramped up for the Senior Bowl this week, the Broncos were a team mentioned in multiple reports as a team that many believe is looking to move way up in the first round of the draft in order to secure one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the class. This tweet from Cecil Lammey supported that notion.
But for a team that has made some bad trades in recent years, depleting its draft capital, that is an approach that must be carefully considered. As I pointed out here, the Broncos having to reach for a quarterback in this draft is very possible.
To pile onto what I wrote here about how such a move is not a great idea, we are going to take a look at three trade scenarios with each of the teams that are in the top 3 of this year's selection process — Chicago, Washington and New England.
After looking at these scenarios, you can decide if you feel like the Broncos should make such a move. Some of these may seem outlandish, but if you look what recent history of terms of what it costs to move up into the top portion of the draft, they are pretty realistic.
Examples of trades into the top 3 of the draft
2012: Washington Redskins- St. Louis Rams
In 2012, the then-Washington Redskins moved up to the No. 2 slot in the draft in order to select Baylor QB Robert Griffin III. In exchange, Washington gave up their first-round pick (sixth overall), their second-round pick and first-round picks in both 2013 and 2014.
ALL of that just to move up four spots in the draft.
2016: Philadelphia Eagles-Cleveland Browns
In 2016, the Eagles held the No. 8 pick in the draft and traded with Cleveland to come up to No. 2 in order to select Carson Wentz out of North Dakota State. The Browns received a nice return.
Browns trade: 2016 first-round pick and 2017 sixth-round pick
Eagles trade: 2016 first-round pick, third-round pick and fourth-round pick, 2017 first-round pick and 2018 second-round pick.
2023: Carolina Panthers-Chicago Bears
In the most recent draft, the Panthers really wanted the No. 1 pick in order to get Bryce Young out of Alabama. In exchange, they gave the Bears quite a bit. The Panthers originally had the No. 9 overall pick.
Panthers get: 2023 first-round selection
Bears get: 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick and WR D.J. Moore.
Before we get into these trade scenarios, it should be noted that both the Griffin deal for Washington and the Wentz deal for Philadelphia did not net the greatest results and both deals, in my mind, were not good. That is certainly the trajectory that things seem to be on with the Panthers and Young as well after one season.
It should also be noted that in all of these recent trades, the team that came up did not come up as far as the Broncos would be coming up from No. 12 this year.
Buyer beware. Now, onto the trade ideas.
Broncos trade with New England Patriots to move up to No. 3
The Patriots have a new head coach in Jerod Mayo and will likely be looking for a new quarterback after the duo of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe stumbled through the 2023 season, leading to the departure of long-time head coach Bill Belichick.
But even though the Patriots need that quarterback, they may be willing to listen to the offer of a desperate team and here, we have one of those.
In this scenario, the Broncos would finally rid themselves of Jerry Jeudy who could get a fresh start in New England with a team that could use another playmaker at the wide receiver position.
The Broncos would have the No. 3 choice and would be free to take either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels, this year's Heisman Trophy winner, but they would sure pay for it and would not have another first-round choice until 2026, unless they were able to acquire one another way.
Broncos trade with Washington Commanders for the No. 2 overall pick
Though the Commanders have a completely different front office than they did in 2012, complete with new ownership, there are still many in Washington who remember how much the team gave up in order to get RG3. Now, that same organization could be on the other side of such a deal.
In this scenario, the Broncos give up even more than they would with the Patriots. It would give them the choice of Maye or Daniels (Caleb Williams is going first overall) but the price would be steep.
The Commanders would end up with a total of two extra first-round picks as well as Garett Bolles, one of the better left tackles in the league, one who would be a big upgrade over the player they currently have at the left tackle spot, Charles Leno.
If the Broncos made this trade, either Maye or Daniels, whoever they chose, would have to be a home run selection. And then some.
The Broncos get the first overall pick from the Chicago Bears
Did you notice that the Broncos played all three of these teams last season? They lost to two of them. The Bears were the only ones they beat.
But the Bears are in a hugely advantageous position. They are familiar with this situation. After all, they just did this with the Panthers last year. But with Caleb Williams in this draft, a player some are calling "generational", the Bears are going to want even more than they got from the Panthers a year ago.
If you are shaking your head at the thought of that trade, you should be. The Bears would get four picks from the Broncos as well as Pat Surtain II, the player many feel is the best cornerback in the NFL and one who is thought to be worth at least two first-round picks in any potential trade the Broncos could consider for him.
You may be thinking that there is no way the team would have to give this much up but when you consider that it Williams (a much higher rated prospect than Young), I can promise you a potential deal would look very much like this.
What do you think? Should the Broncos make one of these deals?
Better Ideas
Now that you see what it could potentially cost to land someone like Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams, all three of these choices, at least in my opinion, are far superior.
Option 1: Just draft the best QB on your board at No. 12. Whether that be Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy, one of them could eventually be molded into the guy that you want and you wouldn't have to give up anything to get him.
Having one of those guys sit behind a veteran next season, even if that is Jarrett Stidham, is a better choice than giving up so much for the potential of one of the top three prospects.
Option 2: Still my favorite route to take, as described here, would be to trade for Justin Fields. If you're so eager to trade, this is the deal to make. The Broncos would still have to pay the Bears a pretty penny, but that would pale in comparison to the trade idea you see in the previous slide.
Fields will only be 25 years old when next season starts and he has all the talent in the world along with experience in the league as a starter. He can make plays with his arm and his legs and in the right situation, could become one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
The Broncos have a lot to consider and the direction they take will definitely decide the team's direction for the next few years, at the least. Sean Payton, George Paton and the rest of the organization have their work cut out for them.