Broncos could alter 2024 playoff fate by making blockbuster trade

The idea of the Denver Broncos potentially making a blockbuster trade for San Francisco 49ers star receiver Brandon Aiyuk is not a new one. Shortly after the Broncos selected Bo Nix with the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the idea started circulating that the team should then go out and get their new quarterback a proven elite target.

Of course, there are always going to be fans of the team that want the Broncos to trade for any star player available, even if it doesn't make sense. But trading for Brandon Aiyuk does make a lot of sense in the current Broncos context, and you know that's true when national writers and people who have no skin in the game start talking about it.

Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team recently listed the Denver Broncos as one of five teams that could be trade destinations for Aiyuk:

"Denver has several nice role players at receiver, including Mims and rookie Troy Franklin, but none project as a bonafide No. 1 option. With lackluster tight end play, the Broncos need a player that can handle 130+ targets in a season.

Bo Nix is the presumed starter in Denver, and now is the time to build up the roster around him. Sean Payton is known for his aggressiveness and could easily design an offense around Nix’s quick release and Aiyuk’s route running."

- Marcus Mosher, The 33rd Team

Here's the deal. After the 2024 season, the Broncos don't have Tim Patrick under contract and they -- up to this point -- haven't shown that they're willing to give Courtland Sutton the adjusted contract he's looking for.

A lot of times, the common issue people have with the Broncos making a trade like this has to do with whether or not the Broncos would be able to afford re-signing Aiyuk to a contract with Quinn Meinerz, Pat Surtain II, and others looking for new contracts. Yes, the Broncos can afford it.

The Broncos have the richest ownership group in American pro sports. They not only have the flexibility to create any sort of contract to work in their current circumstance, but the NFL salary cap is rising at an exponential rate. The issue of finding a way to pay Aiyuk and the other core players on this roster is essentially a non-issue that people seem to think still is.

The other primary issue people come up with is that the Broncos already have enough at receiver. The Broncos do finally have a decent group of receivers and a group that includes players with future upside. The team has three veterans aged 28 or older right now in Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, and Tim Patrick. And again, Patrick isn't under contract in 2025 and Sutton will not likely be back at his current figure, especially given that he held out of voluntary work this offseason.

Not to mention, Brandon Aiyuk would be an upgrade over every player in the receiver room, and could help make everyone else better. Would there be too many "cooks in the kitchen" at this position? Maybe, but only for a year. The receiver room in a hypothetical world where the Broncos trade for Aiyuk beyond the 2024 season could look like Aiyuk, Marvin Mims, Josh Reynolds, and Troy Franklin at the top. Maybe Tim Patrick would even come back.

From the 49ers' perspective, the Broncos are the ideal trade partner. The perception of the Broncos right now is not great, so John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan would be dealing with a team they have done a lot of deals with over the last seven years and sending Aiyuk to the AFC, and to a team that is expected by many to be bad.

It gets Aiyuk completely out of their hair, gets him out of the NFC, and gets him to a team that can financially take care of him.

And just to reiterate -- the Broncos can financially take care of him. And others.

Trading for Aiyuk could instantly boost the Denver Broncos' playoff chances dramatically. Having a playmaker like this at the wide receiver position to go along with the other guys the Broncos have added this offseason could take the offense to another level. And why would Sean Payton not want to make a move like this? He's been ultra-aggressive already and has been aggressive in the past making deals to get guys he wants on his roster.

A trade like this is not just about 2024. That's part of the equation that often gets overlooked. The Broncos obviously want to win from now on, but trading for Aiyuk is a move that would help this team immediately.

What would the Broncos have to give up in a trade? Certainly not a first-round pick at this point and with the prices on receivers around the league the way they have been. Aiyuk is a top-tier player, but the 49ers have sort of put the writing on the wall by not paying him and drafting Ricky Pearsall in the 1st round. They are going to get solid value if they trade Aiyuk, but he's also done his part to help lower the value by doing things like posting Washington Commanders practice tape.

I wrote about the idea of the Broncos trading for Aiyuk back at the NFL Draft and then again in June. Back in June, we talked about the idea of the Dolphins adding a player like Tyreek Hill to help Tua Tagovailoa's development, and how huge that was. We talked about the Bills trading for Stefon Diggs during Josh Allen's early years and how big that was. How huge was it for Joe Burrow to get Ja'Marr Chase?

If you can get a young quarterback a star receiver to grow with, you're setting that quarterback up for massive success. The Broncos could go trade for a guy who just turned 26 years old this offseason and set Bo Nix up for success over the long haul with a top-tier playmaker.

The Broncos haven't drafted a ton of core players for their roster in recent years. They didn't have first-round picks in 2022 or 2023. They didn't re-sign Noah Fant, their 2019 first-round pick, or Jerry Jeudy, their 2020 first-round pick. They've got the flexibility to make moves like this and sign a player like Aiyuk to a big-money deal, especially with Russell Wilson's dead cap lessening substantially after 2024.