With the Denver Broncos season not going the way they had hoped for, could be sellers at the NFL’s November 1 trade deadline.
The most likely name that could be traded is linebacker Bradley Chubb even after Denver’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Multiple teams have been calling Denver to see what the price tag would be for the star pass-rusher and teams have made trade offers already.
According to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, at least one team is willing to trade its first-round draft pick, along with other compensation, for Chubb.
In 2021, Denver traded away Von Miller to the Los Angeles Rams for second and third-round picks. Schefter mentioned that Chubb is ” likely to fetch even more in compensation should Denver decide to deal him.”
If a team does trade for the 26-year-old Chubb, they’ll also have to look at giving him a long-term deal with his rookie deal expiring after the season. There’s also the possibility of that team using the franchise tag on him, but that would cost close to $20 million.
It also makes you wonder why the Broncos even played Chubb against the Jaguars if they’re going to trade him because if he gets hurt, trade offers would go away.
Somebody out there is offering a FIRST ROUND PICK for Bradley Chubb….so
WHY IS HE PLAYING?
The result of this game shouldn’t matter. If you can get a 1 for Chubb, then you deactivate him and trade him on Monday. #Broncos @1043TheFan
General manager George Paton has mentioned in the past that he wants to get as close to owning 10 picks each draft as possible. With Denver only having five draft picks for the 2023 NFL Draft, the Broncos don’t have a first or second-round pick because they sent them to Seattle in the trade for Russell Wilson.
Trading Chubb would likely get Denver closer to owning 10 picks in the upcoming draft instead of just sitting at five.
If No Trade, Denver Will Work on Deal
With all of the trade talks going on, Chubb was asked on Friday, October 28 what he thought about all of the chatter.
“I’m not even thinking about that, bro,” Chubb continued. “I’m just focused on these guys right here, orange, white and blue. Be the best leader, got the C on my chest for a reason. Captains don’t let stuff get to them. They don’t sweat under pressure.”
Chubb also made it known that he wants to remain in Denver for a long time. “I would love to be in Denver long-term. I’ve got my house, I got everything, I’m comfortable.” Chubb continued, “At the end of the day it’s between my agent and George (Paton), whatever they decide to do, but like I said I’m focused on winning these games.”
Schefter also reported that if the Broncos don’t trade their Pro Bowl linebacker, “they also will work on signing him to keep him in Denver long-term.”
Chubb is expected to receive a “lucrative deal” and it will likely be worth “more than $20 million annually,” according to Schefter.
As a rookie, Chubb had the best year of his career, totaling 12 sacks and a combined 61 tackles, but he combined for just 8.5 sacks in 18 games over the next two seasons.
In 2019, Chubb suffered a partially torn ACL, which would sideline him for the rest of the season after just four games. In 2021, he missed 10 games after undergoing ankle surgery. Last season, Chubb didn’t record a single sack in the seven games he appeared in.
This season, Chubb has 5.5 sacks.
Broncos Not Likely to Trade Receivers
Over the past two weeks, Denver has been receiving calls from teams looking to trade for wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler.
On October 24, Schefter jumped on his weekly radio hit on 104.3 The Fan in Denver and said that he wouldn’t be shocked if at least one of the three players is traded away from Denver.
“They’re not interested in giving them away, but I think that they will be open to trading them away for the right price and especially after having lost yesterday [Sunday], if they can’t beat the Jaguars in London and they go to 2-6, I’d be surprised if they didn’t trade away at least one of these guys.”
Schefter gave his thoughts on what he thought Denver could get for their former first-round pick, “I would guess you would get a three and a four back for Jeudy.”
The next day, Jordan Schultz reported on the Pat McAfee Show, “A guy that quietly has been discussed from other teams is K.J. Hamler. I think the asking price for him is less and he’s a speed guy, hasn’t really been ingratiated into the offense,”
Since then, it sounds like the Broncos are unlikely to move on from Jeudy or Hamler. Per Schefter, the Broncos “want to use Jeudy and Hamler to revive their struggling offense.”
Entering their game against Jacksonville, Denver’s offense ranked dead last in the NFL in scoring at 14.3 points per game.
Denver could ultimately still trade one of the receivers by Tuesday, but it only would be for what the team believed to be a strong offer, according to Schefter.
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NFL Insider Says Broncos Could Trade Starter for 1st-Round Pick: Report