A.J. Bouye Shares his Reaction to Getting Traded to Broncos
Fans always wonder how a player really feels about getting traded to a new NFL destination. The truth is, more often than not and especially when it deals with highly-paid veterans, the player is at least marginally involved in the trade.
For A.J. Bouye, he woke up on Tuesday as a Jacksonville Jaguar but finished the day as a Denver Bronco. Well, in principle, anyway. But Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell gave Bouye a say in the trade, per Mike Klis, and he wanted to land in Denver.
The trade, which saw the Broncos send the Jaguars a 2020 fourth-round draft pick, can't be made official until the new league year opens on March 18. But it's only a matter of course. Bouye is headed to the Mile High City.
How does the player feel about being dealt to the Broncos? Thanks to ESPN's Josina Anderson, we have our answer.
"I'm definitely excited because Chris Harris always had good things to say about Denver," Bouye told Anderson. "I'm about to watch film and look at their scheme some more and really study it. It's cornerback friendly. The three times I played there, the atmosphere and fanbase was amazing."
Excited. Amazing. Good things.
As much as Bouye might respect Chris Harris, Jr. and his opinion, the odds are, they'll be like two ships passing in the night. Bouye will arrive in Denver as Harris is leaving for greener and richer pastures.
9NEWS' Mike Klis also provided an interesting reaction quote from Bouye.
“The first thing that came to mind, I was definitely paying attention to Drew (Lock) and his quarterback play,'' Bouye said. "I saw how they played certain teams out of the division, like Houston (Lock's breakout game when the Broncos went up 38-3). And I just like this scheme. I think it’s a good opportunity for DBs to make plays. And how they finished the season strong, I was paying attention to all that.’’
It's another example of how much Drew Lock caused the entire league to sit up and take notice. Bouye was paying close attention.
The truth is, Bouye's time in Jacksonville kind of became stale in the wake of the Jalen Ramsey trade. Bouye was probably ready for new faces and environs.
It also feels good to be wanted, right? Bouye knows Vic Fangio has coveted him for a long time. The player has a base familiarity with Fangio's scheme and will be doing what he can between now and March 18 to study it.
Bouye arrives in Denver with two years left on his contract. He's on the books to earn $13 million in base salary in 2020 and 2021. That's a lot of money to pay a cornerback.
The Broncos view Bouye as their No. 1 corner moving forward and believe they can get him playing at a Pro Bowl level again. Here's to hoping he earns it.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
