It might take some extra work for the Denver Broncos executives and coaching staff, but if there’s a deal out there to be had for an elite wide receiver — or multiple elite wide receivers — they need to suss it out.
Whether it’s by free agency or by trade, the Broncos have to make moves this offseason that address their most glaring weakness, which is the inability to throw the ball downfield and catch passes in any sort of effective, consistent matter.
To that end, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine listed Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. as the one player who should be at the top of the list of Denver’s trade targets this offseason.
“Sean Payton’s team came up just short of a Super Bowl berth so there’s incentive to make the kind of move to get them over the top,” Ballentine wrote. “Making an enticing offer to the Colts for Michael Pittman Jr. would certainly qualify. Pittman Jr. was eclipsed by Alec Pierce as the No. 1 option in Indianapolis this season. Now Pierce is headed toward free agency and the Colts could clear $24 million in cap space by trading him.”
Pittman Record 2 Career 1,000-Yard Seasons
While any team trading for Pittman will be looking for him to take a major shave on the $24 million he’s due in 2026, it’s impossible to deny he could help someone win games.
Pittman, 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, was a second round pick by the Colts in the 2020 NFL draft and has a pair of 1,000-yard receiving seasons, including career highs of 109 receptions for 1,152 yards to go with 4 touchdowns in 2023.
In 2025, while relegated to the WR2 role behind Pierce, Pittman still had 80 receptions for 784 yards and a career-high 7 touchdowns.
The Colts have paid Pittman a pretty penny for his services. He signed a 3-year, $70 million contract extension before the 2024 season and he has $58 million in career earnings through the end of the 2025 season.
Payton’s Disgust With WRs on Full Display
Denver head coach Sean Payton’s disgust with his offense and his wide receivers was clear for all the world to see following the season.
Not only did Payton verbalize his disappointment, he acted on it, firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert shortly after a 10-7 home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
“I’m going to look at it and be critical of myself, and I think there were a number of things that we just had to do better,” Payton said after the game. “We didn’t finish some runs, and we dropped some passes. Again, felt like that was a problem all year.”
The Broncos now have a new offensive coordinator after quarterbacks coach and offensive pass game coordinator and former NFL quarterback Davis Webb was promoted.
After passing on a trade for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at the 2025 trade deadline — a player who could have put them in Super Bowl LX instead of the Patriots — don’t expect the Broncos to be so conservative this time around.
Broncos Pushed to Trade for $70 Million, 1,100-Yard WR