Report: Two NFC Juggernauts Called Broncos About Patrick Surtain II
Standing pat at the October 31 NFL trade deadline sent a powerful message that Sean Payton believes his Denver Broncos team is still in the mix. Payton admitted prior to the trade window closing that while he wasn't actively looking to move anyone, he would listen if and when the phone rang at Broncos HQ.
It was no secret that cornerback Patrick Surtain II was the premium asset the Broncos could have shifted for big value. If the Broncos were even remotely interested in moving Surtain, however, it would have taken a king's ransom to pull the trigger and move on from the All-Pro former first-round pick.
On Sunday, ESPN insider Adam Schefter revealed that the San Francisco 49ers had inquired about the possibility of trading for the Broncos 23-year-old corner, while NBC Sports' Mike Florio reported that the Philadelphia Eagles were also in the mix.
"49ers went big game hunting at the NFL trade deadline, checking in on the availability of Broncos’ CB Pat Surtain II, Bears’ CB Jaylon Johnson and then-Commanders’ DE Montez Sweat, among others, before landing Chase Young, who makes his SF debut today," Schefter reported on X.
Here's what Florio reported.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, both the 49ers and Eagles explored the possibility of trading for Surtain.
They both were calling the Broncos, and they each were concerned that the other would end up with Surtain.
It should come as no surprise, even to the most casual of NFL fans, that it was two teams firmly in a Super Bowl window that were most interested in acquiring one of the league's premier cornerbacks. The desperation of both teams to get the upper hand over the other for NFC supremacy heated things up at the deadline.
Indeed, that may have been the reason things ultimately fell apart. Two suitors coming to the table creates demand, which inflates the price. And Denver's ask likely was exceedingly rich to begin with.
The Niners also checked the temperature on Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and others, per Schefter. Niners GM John Lynch enjoys a cordial relationship with the Broncos front office, the latest proof of which was the Randy Gregory trade, but Surtain was a whole different ballgame entirely.
Surtain has already pledged his allegiance to the Broncos for life, and it remains doubtful that Payton and company would have entertained the merest notion of trading their franchise cornerstone. It's a cautionary tale hammering home the reality that in the topsy-turvy world of the NFL, anything can happen.
But Surtain's long-term future in Denver looks more assured than ever.
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