Getty Denver Broncos QB Joe Flacco
The Denver Broncos have opted to make a change at quarterback by swinging a trade for former Baltimore Ravens starter Joe Flacco. The deal will bring a veteran presence in Flacco to town, and likely spells the end of Case Keenum’s tenure with the team. At the very least, there’s a chance he could take a pay cut and stay on board to back up the former Ravens quarterback.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the trade, revealing that it can’t be made official until the new NFL league year begins on March 13. This means we don’t know exactly what the terms of the trade are, but there is at least a general idea of what the Broncos sent the Ravens in exchange for Flacco.
Let’s look at not only the latest report on the trade compensation, which will reportedly include a draft pick, but also what the selection could be.
Ravens Reportedly Trading Mid-Round Pick for Joe Flacco
Shortly after the deal came to light, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Broncos are sending a mid-round pick to the Ravens. There’s no clarification on exactly which pick it is, but it’s worth noting that Denver has quite a few of them to potentially move.
When evaluating the Broncos’ full draft outlook, Tankathon shows that John Elway’s team has 11 picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Here’s the round-by-round breakdown of the selections they currently hold.
- Round 1, No. 10
- Round 2, No. 41
- Round 3, No. 72
- Round 4, No. 107
- Round 4, No. 119 (from Houston Texans)
- Round 5, No. 138
- Round 5, No. 146 (from Minnesota Vikings)
- Round 6, No. 169
- Round 7, No. 200
- Round 7, No. 215 (from Texans)
- Round 7, No. 223 (from Los Angeles Rams)
Assuming the Broncos sent just one pick to Baltimore in exchange for Flacco, it makes sense that it would be one of the fourth-rounders. There’s a chance it could be a fifth-round pick due to the fact that it was somewhat known the Ravens were set to move on from the 34-year-old signal-caller.
Broncos Set to Move Case Keenum?
With Flacco now in town, the team’s plan is apparently to move on from Keenum or simply try to negotiate a pay cut and have him backup Flacco. Obviously, there’s a good chance the two quarterbacks would have a training camp competition for the spot, but it’s unlikely the Broncos acquired Flacco to have him ride the bench.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Denver is shopping Keenum at this point and there’s a chance he could be released when all is said and done.
The #Broncos will now shop QB Case Keenum, who is guaranteed $7M in 2019, I’m told. If they can’t, it’s either a massive paycut or a straight up release. He’d be a top backup.
It’s unknown if there will be any interest in taking on the final year of Keenum’s deal, but there may be at least some market for him, especially if a team is looking for a gap quarterback for a year. Keenum previously signed a two-year, $36 million deal in 2018 free agency.
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