Broncos should make blockbuster receiver trade after drafting Bo Nix

The Denver Broncos now have their young franchise quarterback in place. Sean Payton is diving head-first into building around 12th-overall pick Bo Nix, which means it's time to really start building around that guy.

Now, you can't do that all in just one offseason. The Broncos will be in a great position to be able to build around Nix next offseason where they have over $80 million in projected cap space (currently) and all of their picks in the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. There's a lot to look forward to next offseason, but what can the Broncos do right now to help their new quarterback?

For starters, they could try to make a blockbuster wide receiver deal.

There could be a handful of receivers available right now, including San Francisco 49ers receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel as well as Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. All of these options are younger than Courtland Sutton (if only by a couple of months in Samuel's case) and Sutton is looking like he might hold out for a new contract.

The Broncos could trade Sutton over the course of the weekend and parlay some of their remaining picks and perhaps a pick next year to acquire a stud receiver. The ideal target would be 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, one of the best receivers after the catch in the entire league. The Broncos will certainly highlight Bo Nix's ability to get the ball out quickly, and we've seen how having a player like Aiyuk has helped Brock Purdy excel early on in his NFL career.

But I'm not sure the Broncos would be making a mistake either way. The team obviously would want to protect its 2025 1st-round pick, but just about anything else they have available right now should be in play for a player of this caliber. The Broncos now have a quarterback, and although they haven't seen him on the field, they'd be wise to invest in surrounding him with talent.

Does that mean they need to go out and trade for/pay a big-name receiver? It's not a necessity, but it wouldn't be a luxury either. With your quarterback in place, you are expecting to be able to compete sooner rather than later. When players like this are available, you've at least got to call on the price, and the 49ers didn't get any offers on Thursday night involving a high first-round draft choice.

The Broncos could now be considered in the mix because of the fact that they selected a young quarterback, and now the teams that might have traded a first-round pick for Aiyuk have mostly all taken receivers (save for the Buffalo Bills). Why would the Broncos not offer their 2025 2nd-round pick for Brandon Aiyuk? If the price to acquire someone like Tee Higgins is a 3rd and 4th-round pick, why would they not do something like that?

Now that the quarterback is in place, the team needs to get to work in surrounding him with the best talent possible. Brandon Aiyuk is an established star at a premier position and is just 26. Tee Higgins just turned 25 this offseason. Yes, these guys need/want new contracts, but the Broncos can afford those kinds of deals with their future cap space situation.

It's time for Sean Payton and George Paton to start working the phones on a possible top-flight receiver to bring in to surround their new quarterback.