Before this season kicked off, some labeled Denver as “A QB away” from competing for a Super Bowl.
And even in Sunday night’s loss to the cream of the crop Chiefs, the Broncos were competitive for the most part outside of Teddy Bridgewater’s play at quarterback.
Well, times of desperation in Denver could soon be coming to an end.
Per Jordan Shultz, Wilson would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if it meant going to the Mile High City. other destinations include New Orleans, New York (Giants) and Philadelphia.
https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/1468662245391572998
Denver’s quickly become an attractive destination for many reasons.
First, they have a defensive-minded head coach in Vic Fangio who knows how to get the mot out of his players. Look at the meteoric rise in production from linebacker Alexander Johnson — before his injury — or the play of rookies Patrick Surtain, Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper for proof.
Simply, the Broncos defense is one of the best in the NFL even with a ton of injuries, trading away Von Miller mid-season and new players being forced to contribute immediately.
Secondly, Denver’s a great destination due to all the tremendous talent on the offensive side of the ball. General Manager George Paton just re-signed both Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton, two 6’4″ receivers who are sure-handed, can make big-time plays and both are solid teammates too. Then, there’s the even younger guys in Jerry Jeudy and the injured KJ Hamler. Jeudy still hasn’t tapped into his full potential as he struggled with the wildly inaccurate Drew Lock as a rookie, and both he and Hamler have dealt with injuries.
Noah Fant, who’s had a quiet third season, is another valuable pass-catching threat, and then there’s the rising star Javonte Williams in the backfield, too.
Wilson’s had some talented offensive playmakers during his 10-year tenure in Seattle, but never as many as Denver has on the roster currently. That’s likely a big reason why he’s reportedly interested in coming to the Broncos.
Finally, Denver’s got a great winning tradition and with Paton in charge, it seems they are about to open into a window of serious contention for multiple years in the near future. The Broncos’ eight Super Bowl appearances are tied for second-most in NFL history, and two of those trips came in the last decade.
Wilson remembers Super Bowl XLVIII clearly; he was the winning quarterback as the Broncos were squashed by the Seahawks 43-8.
As for Paton and the team-building, he’s less than one year in but has already made some great moves. His first draft has been highly regarded due to so many of the team’s rookies not only playing this year, but excelling. So, there’s hope he will continue to build the team through the draft by finding incredibly athletic players.
Outside of the draft, Paton found valuable free agents (Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller), he traded for Teddy Bridgewater (an upgrade over Drew Lock) and even got a solid haul for Miller when everyone knew the star would walk in the offseason.
Simply, Denver makes a lot of sense as a trade destination for Wilson. As long as the price is right, though.
Fans love to discuss possible trade scenarios and some are already suggesting Paton trade away Surtain and two first-round picks for Wilson. Hey, the desperation for a world-class QB in Denver is real. But, come on. Surtain isn’t going anywhere and he looks like a perennial Pro Bowler just past the halfway point in his first year.
As for Wilson, it must be noted he was injured earlier this season and came back in record time, about 4 weeks earlier than expected. However, Wilson struggled for multiple weeks and his QBR (44.5) is far and away the lowest of his career this year.
At just over 33 years old, does Wilson still have what it takes to be a star QB in this league? If the Broncos have the chance to trade for him, one has to imagine Paton believes he does still have what it takes to take a team to the playoffs and even a Super Bowl. Stay tuned for a possibly wild offseason in the Mile High City.