Insider Validates Rumor on Broncos Placing 'Big Name' on Trade Block

The Denver Broncos are hurting for NFL draft capital after mortgaging the future by making a pair of blockbuster trades in back-to-back years. To acquire Russell Wilson, Denver gave up a pair of first- and second-rounders, and to land Sean Payton as head coach, another first-rounder was relinquished.

Obviously, if the Broncos want to have some darts to throw at the board come Draft Day, GM George Paton and Payton will have to get creative. One way to go about restocking the Broncos' draft war chest is to trade already proven commodities.

One new rumor claims that the Broncos are aiming to do just that, with a "big name" player poised to go on the trading block. Bonafide Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright, of Broncos Country Tonight on KOARadio, confirmed the rumor on Tuesday afternoon.

I'll talk about this player on the show tonight. https://t.co/PWWZ0wz4IZ
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) February 14, 2023

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Allbright teased the identity of the player for those who want to tune into his show at 6pm MDT on Tuesday night. For now, we can only stab at who the Broncos might be willing to posture on the trading block.

That player would have to be a guy that outside teams would covet enough to relinquish premium draft capital to acquire. Only a couple of names fit that bill, and they're both All-Pros.

Cornerback Patrick Surtain II and safety Justin Simmons.

If I were a betting man, which I'm not, I'd hedge on the Simmons side of that coin — if only because of his relative age and contract. Primed to enter his age-30 season, the second-team All-Pro safety is set to earn $14.4 million in base salary in 2023.

The Broncos have a few younger options coming up behind Simmons, but nobody proven. With fellow veteran Kareem Jackson not expected to return to Denver, if the Broncos were to countenance trading Simmons, the brain trust would have to also be willing to find two new starters at safety for 2023.

But if it meant clearing some serious salary cap room, perhaps that's a risk Paton and Payton would be willing to take. As for Surtain, I can't see the Broncos making the same mistake Washington did 20 years ago by trading away a future Hall-of-Fame cornerback in Champ Bailey just as he's hitting his prime years.

If any name in Denver is sacrosanct and impervious to the trading block, you'd think it'd be Surtain. But it is the NFL, and stranger things have happened.

Outside of those two defensive backs, the Broncos could look to the wide receiver room and trade either Courtland Sutton or Jerry Jeudy. After extending both Sutton and Tim Patrick in the fall of 2021, one of those wideouts could be replaceable.

On the surface, one might think it'd be Patrick. And if he weren't coming off a torn ACL, I'd agree with that sentiment. But as a rehabbing player, his value right now, especially relative to his contract, is minimal.

Sutton, on the other hand... I suppose you shouldn't rule out Jeudy as a possibility, but he strikes me as a skill-position player Payton would covet in his Broncos offense.

You could really go crazy and float a name like Garett Bolles, but he plays a foundational position at left tackle, which is another reason why Surtain is also unlikely to be moved. Quarterback, left tackle, cornerback, and edge rusher are commonly viewed as the championship-roster building blocks for an NFL team.

Safety isn't. Wide receiver isn't.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: The name mentioned was that of Garett Bolles. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of this rumor as the Broncos inch deeper into the offseason.

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