Broncos Trade $4 Million Former Starter in Pre-Deadline Deal

After downplaying what the Denver Broncos might do ahead of the November 5 trade deadline, head coach Sean Payton and Co. did indeed pull the trigger on a deal.

Denver is sending former starting edge defender Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals.

“Trade! The #Broncos are sending edge rusher Baron Browning to the #Cardinals, per sources,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on X on November 4. “Arizona will send a sixth-round pick to Denver for Baron Browning, who has 9.5 career sacks.”

Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the NFC West-leading Cardinals were “combing” the trade market for an edge rusher.

Browning, 26, was a third-round pick by the Broncos in 2021. He opened the regular season as the starter but lost his job to Nik Bonitto, who leads the team with 6.0 sacks despite coming off the bench for the first two games.

Browning was candid about his excitement for the season and desire to remain in Denver.

“I can only control what I can control,’’ Browning said, per 9News’ Mike Klis wrote on October 27. “I can’t control what happens in the future, I have to stay in the moment. I do what I can to help this team win games. I would like to stay here. I don’t want to leave but some things are out of my control.”

Browning is in the final year of a four-year, $4.6 million contract and the Broncos extended Cooper over the weekend, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on November 5/

That likely sealed Browning’s fate.

Sean Payton Downplayed Broncos’ Trade Deadline Plans

Still, the deal may have come as a mild surprise given Payton’s comments about the trade deadline leading up to the move. With the NFL’s trading deadline less than 36 hours away, Payton was candid about what it might take for the team to make a move.

Payton’s comments were likely disappointing for anyone hoping to see some action.

The Broncos are 5-4 and coming off a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. But Payton is not pushing the panic button while maintaining a pragmatic view of his team’s outlook going forward. He even harkened to the “Pitino Game.”

“Superman’s not walking in,” Payton said, per 9News’ Mike Klis on X on November 4. “My brother’s the worst at this.

Klis noted that Payton’s brother wants a move, but adds the coach was simply joking.

Still, Payton’s remarks offer a telling glimpse into his mindset as the trade deadline approaches, and it aligns with what he said when there were two weeks to go. Payton is fond of the Broncos’ current group.

[Broncos general manager George Paton] and I will talk about it each day. But we’re focused on this right now,” Payton told reporters on October 25. “There’s a group of teams shopping a certain list of players. And some teams are easier to do a deal with, maybe, than others. But right now, I like where we’re at with this group.”

Russini wrote on November 2 that she expected the Broncos to stand pat at the trade deadline.

Opinions about what they should do have been split. But the Broncos made at least one move, which helped replenish their diminished draft coffers.

Sean Payton Sends Message After Broncos Worst Loss of Season

Part of Payton’s reasoning before the Browning trade could be the reality of how far they truly are from the upper-echelon teams in the league. The last time the Broncos lost a game worse than their 41-10 defeat at the hands of the Ravens in Week 9 was in Week 3 versus the Miami Dolphins in 2023.

The Broncos lost by 50 points then, so they can hang their hats on not allowing such a significant margin of defeat.

Payton was none too pleased after the loss to Baltimore, though.

“Obviously, a difficult, tough game. They beat us, pretty much, in all three phases. We didn’t do a good enough job coaching. We lost to a good football team, and it’s disappointing,” Payton told reporters on November 3. “We got beat today; we didn’t do um nearly enough things well enough – and again – against a good football team.

“I think the most important thing – and I just finished telling them this – is, even beyond playing football, there’s going to be games where you got to win on Monday and it’s going to it’s not going to taste good for any of us, and we’re not going to like it. But that’s life. And then we got to bow up and get ready to play next week, and then that’s why it’s so important when we’re bringing in the right type of players and the mindset. Let’s not make any excuses. We got we got whooped today.”