At this exact moment, the Denver Broncos have $12.697 million in effective cap space, which excludes the amount of money necessary to sign their draft picks. Subtract what's necessary to operate during the season, and it goes down even more. So if Sean Payton wants to upgrade the offense, the options are limited.
But there's a potential trade target who would fit what the Broncos need, and what they can pay, if the Green Bay Packers are open to trading Romeo Doubs—a solid veteran who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Doubs is slated to make $3.406 million this year, which could be easily absorbed by Denver. His market projection also indicates that it’s feasible to keep him around for the future.
Broncos perspective
Even after drafting Pat Bryant, the Illinois wide receiver, in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos could certainly put some more weapons around their young stud quarterback Bo Nix. The draft is over, so there's no way they can get another one that way, and they have signed their UDFAs—hoping one of those guys hits is a long shot. Even with the little cap space they are projected to have, Denver could still get another wide receiver to put next to Nix and company. And, it would be a cheap-ish option, as well as a young-ish option, especially considering what's available in the free agency market.
Getting the most out of Bo Nix, especially before his rookie contract is over, is crucial, and doing that requires having the right pieces around him and as many weapons as possible. In year one, the Broncos could have certainly done a better job of that. In year 2, they should look at trading for a guy like Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers. Doubs has experience with winning and playing in big games, an experience that no one in the Broncos receiver room really has. And, that's valuable, especially to a guy like Sean Payton.
Packers perspective
The wide receiver position is particularly intriguing for the Green Bay Packers. They drafted six players at the position between 2022 and 2023, and while they found several contributors, nobody has developed into a true wide receiver one. The best case for it is from Jayden Reed, who led Green Bay in receiving yards in each of his first two seasons and surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2024.
This year, general manager Brian Gutekunst took two receivers in the first three rounds, grabbing Matthew Golden and Savion Williams. With Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs entering the final years of their deals, it would make sense to part ways with one of them. Watson is injured and has a higher ceiling, so Doubs is the obvious answer.
For the future, the Packers could realistically extend Reed, while Dontayvion Wicks is under contract through 2026. Add the new rookies to the calculus, and it makes even more sense to make a trade.
According to Spotrac, Doubs is in line to get a four-year, $47.74 million contract ($11.9 million per season). The amount isn't prohibitive, but the Packers would be smart to prioritize other pieces—wide receiver is a truly unique position, where the optimal approach indicates paying top players, but not mid-level guys who are more replaceable.
The Packers could simply wait, take advantage of another season from Doubs, and look for a compensatory pick when he signs elsewhere. But that pick wouldn't come before 2027, and the Packers would have to avoid adding external pieces in free agency. Trading him for a guaranteed pick in 2026 is enticing.
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