One of the most highly-praised moves of the 2026 NFL offseason has been the Denver Broncos trading their 2026 1st round pick to the Miami Dolphins for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who became a star in his own right playing in the shadow of NFL All-Pro Tyreek Hill for the 1st 5 years of his career.
Not everyone thinks the Broncos are going to get the best of the deal, which also included their 3rd and 4th-round picks.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon put the Waddle trade at the top of his list of big-money NFL offseason moves he thinks will backfire in 2026.
“That’s a lot of lost draft capital for a guy who has rarely been relied on as a No. 1 receiver,” Gagnon wrote. “The five-year veteran has just one season with 1,100 yards or more than six touchdowns, but he’ll cost $27.1 million against the cap in 2027. This is a big change that may not have been necessary, and could potentially do more harm than good.”
The Broncos are so in need of another elite pass-catching option after making it to the AFC Championship Game following the 2025 season that it’s hard to see how trading for a player like Waddle could do harm, but there’s always the possibility. Waddle’s 3-year, $84.75 million contract extension makes it all the more risky.
Jaylen Waddle Facing ‘Tremendous Pressure’
For the Broncos, the only regret to this point is that they didn’t trade for Waddle sooner. It was their lack of an effective wide receiver that kept them from making the Super Bowl following the 2025 season.
Now, headed into his 1st season in Denver, the Locked on Broncos podcast asserts that Waddle will be under as much pressure as anyone on the roster in 2026.
From Locked on Broncos: “The pressure on Jaylen Waddle in his first year with the Denver Broncos is tremendous … not just for what he can bring to the offense, but for how he can help the defense. Jaylen Waddle’s presence this offseason and throughout training camp, and the ability to live up to these lofty expectations because, well, it affects everybody on this team.”
Broncos Had 1 Key Missing Piece in 2026
While the Broncos are still all set on defense and their offense was improved in 2025, it’s impossible to say they were ever truly elite — incredible considering they went 14-3 last season and earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs.
The Broncos almost made a blockbuster trade for Waddle at the 2025 trade deadline but balked at the price. It’s fair to say that making that move might have ended up being the difference between the Broncos making it to the Super Bowl.
It was their failings at wide receiver that eventually sank them in a 10-7 home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Playing without injured starting quarterback Bo Nix (fractured ankle), the Broncos couldn’t seem to get the ball downfield to any of their passing targets with backup Jarrett Stidham getting the start — a swirling snowstorm didn’t help much, either.
The loss seemed to trigger something in Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who made his distaste with the receivers public following the loss to the Patriots, and that no doubt played a large part in the firing of both offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert.
Broncos’ $84.75 Million Trade Predicted to ‘Do More Harm Than Good’