Broncos Trade Proposal Lands $20 Million Former Rookie of the Year

The Denver Broncos looked to have turned a corner offensively versus the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, winning a 33-10 road date decisively.

However, considering their opponent’s depleted state, returning to the normal struggles for the ground game in 2024 could once again expose the deficiencies in the passing game. The Broncos could consider a trade to help guard against that.

Any trade they make has to help now and fit into their plans around Bo Nix.

With depth at key positions and six draft picks at their disposal – including four in the first four rounds – the Broncos could make a big splash before the November 5 trade deadline.

Following the New York Jets’ trade to acquire Davante Adams, reuniting him with former Green Bay Packers teammates Aaron Rodgers and Allen Lazard and coach Nathaniel Hackett, Garrett Wilson could be the odd man out more often than he would like.

This Heavy Sports Broncos trade proposal aims to land Wilson.

Broncos get:

• Garrett Wilson

Jets get:

• Baron Browning
• 2025 first-round pick
• 2026 sixth-round pick (via NYJ)

Browning opened the season as the starter opposite Jonathon Cooper.  A foot injury landed the former third-round pick on injured reserve after Week 2. He returned for the Broncos’ win over the Saints. But Nik Bonitto logged his fourth consecutive start in Browning’s place.

The Broncos lead the league with 28 sacks. They would still have promising rookie Jonah Elliss on hand to support Bonitto and Cooper after the deal above.

The Jets rank fourth in sacks.

But they have had to navigate the loss of starter Jermaine Johnson for the season to a torn Achilles and 2024 trade pickup Haason Reddick’s holdout. Reddick ended his holdout ahead of their Week 7 outing versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Browning could bolster the Jets’ depth while the Broncos include a first-round pick and give back the Jets’ sixth-rounder from the Zach Wilson trade back.

Broncos Trade for Garrett Wilson Would Reshape WR Room

The Jets selected Wilson with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 draft. He caught 83 passes for 1,104 yards and 4 touchdowns that season, earning Rookie of the Year honors.

Wilson has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons despite inconsistent quarterback play.

This trade follows a similar outline to the Philadelphia Eagles trade to acquire A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans in 2022. Philadelphia sent first and third-round picks in the 2022 draft to the Titans for Brown, whose production was similar to Wilson’s through two-plus seasons.

Wilson is in Year 3 of a four-year, $20.5 million rookie contract. He has a $985,000 cap hit in 2024 that would be prorated for the remaining games on the schedule.

The Broncos have $3.9 million in cap space as of October 20, per Over The Cap.

They can afford Wilson in 2024 and 2025 when his salary increases to $1.1 million. OTC projects Denver to have $70.9 million in cap space in 2025. That is enough to acquire Wilson before the trade deadline and work out a long-term extension to keep him around.

He would at worst challenge Courtland Sutton for the No. 1 spot in the pecking order of the Broncos’ passing game.

Sutton is 29 years old and has one year left on his contract after 2024.

And Wilson is young enough to lead the way while second-year man Marvin Mims and rookies Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin – Nix’s college teammate – develop. The biggest obstacle the Broncos or any interested team would face is the Jets’ current stance.

Insider Questions Jets’ Lack of Interest in Garrett Wilson Trade

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on various teams’ interest in Wilson following the Jets’ trade for Adams. Schefter did not name any specific teams.

However, those teams have been turned away.

“After the New York Jets’ acquisition of Davante Adams this week, a select group of NFL teams have inquired into whether the Jets would be willing to trade fellow star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, league sources told ESPN on Saturday,” Schefter wrote on October 19.

“The Jets have heard from other teams but are not planning to trade Wilson, according to sources.”

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio questioned the Jets’ steadfastness in that position.

“The real question is whether this is a run-of-the-mill, quota-filling, Saturday night Sunday Splash! report, or whether the Jets pushed the item in order to maximize the potential market by affirmatively getting the word out,” Florio wrote on October 19.

“As Jets owner Woody Johnson tries to prove himself right by firing coach Robert Saleh only five games into the season, it makes no sense to swap Wilson for future draft picks. That said, Wilson will be eligible for a new contract after the current season, and he’ll likely want a market-level deal. If the Jets aren’t inclined to pay him $35 million or more per year — and if he could be dealt for someone who would help the Jets right now at a position of weakness — it’s worth listening.”

Both Wilson and Adams are “excited” about playing with one another. It could take a continued meltdown from the Jets and maybe even a request from Wilson to stir trade winds.