Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - AJ Brown TRADE IDEAS for Broncos to Consider in 2026 Offseason

Starting point is 00:00:00 If the Denver Broncos actually want to pull off a big time trade for a wide receiver like AJ Brown, we've got some ideas of how they can do just that. You are locked on Broncos. Your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. The time between the Super Bowl and free agency is a time to dream big. To put on your general manager hat and figure out, hey, what's the best way to build my favorite team going forward. It's the time of the off season for wishless. It's the time of the off season for dreaming

Starting point is 00:00:39 up whatever trades you might want to think about. And that's why we have so much fun, Broncos country. That's what we're going to do on today's episode, a bonus episode of the show as we explore. Hey, what could it look like for the Denver Broncos to trade for somebody like A.J. Brown, who is the disgruntled star wide receiver of the Philadelphia Eagles. What would the price tag actually be? Like what are we talking about in terms of what this team would have to give up to get a player like that? Well, we're going to break all of that down on today's bonus episode of the show. But really quickly, I just want to say thank you to all of you every dayers out there that make Lockdown Broncos your first listen of the day every single day right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network out there. And my name is Sayer Bedinger.

Starting point is 00:01:26 I'm a site expert predominantly orange.com as well as the co-host here at Lockedon Broncos. and we're so excited to be bringing some bonus episodes and bonus content your way here throughout the course of the off season. And I'm excited to talk about this possibility because I know I'm of the belief and some of you are of a belief that the Broncos need to make a trade for a wide receiver this off season. And specifically today we're going to be talking about A.J. Brown. But ultimately, I think that you could sort of fill any name into that realistic realm, right? when you're talking about what receivers could the Broncos actually end up trading for. I mean, there's a ton of names that get thrown out there from A.J. Brown to J.L. Waddle to plenty of others. I know a lot of fans are out there dreaming about Justin Jefferson.

Starting point is 00:02:12 I don't think that's going to happen. So while I do say, hey, put on your GM hat, go ahead and dream big. I don't think the Justin Jefferson thing is going to happen. But I do think there's enough precedent out there for players in A.J. Brown's realm that this could be a. possibility or a Jalen wattle could be a real possibility for the Broncos as those guys kind of approached their late 20s and teams kind of start to look forward to the future and say do we want to reset the clock here do we want to get as much assets for this player as we possibly can and i think the number one trade to look back on is last year's deal that sent uh dk mtkaff from the seattle seahawks to the pittsburgh stealers and that deal was extremely straightforward right the pittsburgh

Starting point is 00:02:57 Steelers, they got D.K. Metcalf and a day three draft pick. And then the Seattle Seahawks, they got a round two pick, 50 second overall, as well as a day three pick in that late round pick swap. So ultimately, what it ended up being was a second round pick for D.K. Metcalf at the 52nd overall slot. And then you did a late round pick swap that ultimately didn't amount to much in terms of value if you use that NFL trade value chart. So what I look at that and I say, hey, the framework is really there, isn't it? I mean, when you talk about a player like D.K. Metcalf who was 27 years old at the time of that trade, the Seattle Seahawks obviously still in a point in their building process where they believed that they could be contenders. And turns out they were right.

Starting point is 00:03:43 They won the Super Bowl this past year. But it was a difficult decision from their end because, you know, D.K. Metcalf had obviously been a core player on that roster since he was drafted by the team. And so getting rid of him was not an easy decision by any means. It felt like, hey, you're kind of weakening a position here. And you're doing it while changing your quarterback as well because they brought in Sam Donald, took a risk on him, traded away Gino Smith. So there was a lot going on contextually when that trade was made. But I think the bones of it would make a lot of sense to me when you're talking about

Starting point is 00:04:18 somebody like A.J. Brown. Now, the contract situation with A.J. Brown could complicate things. you know, I guess more than my pay grade can even understand. Spot Track says that the Eagles would actually be adding over 20 million to their cap if they trade A.J. Brown before June 1st, but after June 1st, they can actually save some money on the salary cap by making this deal. So is this a post-draft kind of situation? Or does that push the Broncos then to maybe try and kind of get something done for a different receiver? Regardless, I think the number one trade option, as we talk about, hey, what are the

Starting point is 00:04:54 trade ideas for somebody like AJ Brown. The number one option, I think is just to make it super simple. Just say second round pick, which the Broncos second round pick is in the 60s, right? 60 second overall. We'll give you pick number 62 overall and we'll give you a fifth round pick on top of it for AJ Brown and a future sixth round pick, a late round pick swap. Just like what the Steelers and the Seahawks executed for D.K. Metcalfe, we're going to do something extremely similar for AJ Brown.

Starting point is 00:05:26 They're in that same age range. They obviously both are impact players as outside wide receivers who can do a little bit of everything for you and be a featured weapon in the passing game. And based on their contract situations, you kind of view that value as a second rounder plus as opposed to, hey, he's definitely going to go for a first round pick. I saw a trade from ESPN that was floated out there. That was a second, a fifth, and Riley Moss for somebody like AJ. Jay Brown, that is way too prohibitive of a price tag, a starting caliber player plus a second

Starting point is 00:05:59 round pick, plus a premium day three pick. That's just too much to pay for in a trade like this. There's not enough precedent, in my opinion, for a deal like that to get done. So maybe if the Broncos get that kind of response from Philadelphia, they would say no. But I do think they can be a little bit creative when it comes to different ways that they could possibly look at making this deal get done. And it's not just involving draft picks, but maybe some. players on the roster that could be enticing for the Philadelphia Eagles in a move like this.

Starting point is 00:06:29 We'll break that down coming up on today's bonus episode, Lockdown Broncos. Hey, it's Matt Derry from the Lockdown Lions podcast. The people I love depend on me. If I'm gone, the financial responsibilities don't disappear. I didn't want my family figuring things out during the hardest moment of their lives. That's why I knew only one place to go. I chose life insurance through my friends at Ethos. ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy 100% online you can get a quote in seconds

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Starting point is 00:09:24 and just want to continue to add value to you, the fan and everyday listener that makes this show exactly what it is. And let's talk about it because, look, the Broncos getting a deal done for a star-wide receiver, if they want to make that happen this off-season, it doesn't necessarily have to be limited

Starting point is 00:09:42 to their NFL draft capital, right? When we're talking about adding a piece onto the roster, the Broncos do have, some attractive trade pieces that they could float back to a team like the Philadelphia Eagles. And what's really cool about a potential deal with the Eagles is that there are significant connections in that front office, right, and on the coaching staff. So the number one on the front office, you've got Matt Russell, who was part of the Denver Broncos front office under John Elway, really was the number two lieutenant to John Elway in

Starting point is 00:10:13 the front office while Elway was the general manager. So there's a significant tie there and players obviously that he had part in drafting that are still on the Broncos roster more on that in a second. But also Vic Fangio, who was the head coach of the Broncos from 2019 to 2021. And then obviously, you know, Sean Peyton really wanted to keep some of that Fangio DNA. Wanted Fangio himself to be the defensive coordinator for the Broncos there back in 2023 when he came back to the NFL. But ultimately, that didn't work out. And I think that that DNA has really stuck around with. the entire NFL, not just the Denver Broncos.

Starting point is 00:10:48 So certainly when you look at the Eagles as a possible trade partner this off season, George Payton and Howie Roseman, the general manager of the Eagles, they've got an open line of communication. And then Matt Russell, having been in that front office with the Broncos, I think one of the players that you would have to look at in this and say, hey, we're as the Eagles, we're also a contending team. Like, we might trade A.J. Brown because he doesn't want to be here, or he doesn't feel like he's a fit for our team anymore,

Starting point is 00:11:18 but we want a receiver coming back. Cortland Sutton makes a ton of sense for them. I mean, not in terms of a one-for-one player-for-player swap, because I think, quite frankly, just Brown brings more value to the table than does Cortland Sutton. So you'd be talking about the second trade option that I want to throw out there,

Starting point is 00:11:35 float out there is Cortland Sutton and a pick for A.J. Brown. And I don't know what exactly that pick would be. I don't necessarily want to say, hey, it's going to be Cortland Sutton and a third or Cortland Sutton and a fourth. But I do think Cortland carries a decent amount of value here, but you're swapping alpha for alpha. And you're ultimately, as the Eagles, you would be saying we feel like Cortland could be that ideal pairing with Devante Smith. Somebody who, unlike A.J. Brown, doesn't necessarily demand the ball all the time. And somebody who can block really well, as we've seen Cortland do throughout the course of his career.

Starting point is 00:12:09 And we know the Eagles are going to want to run the ball. And we know that as they want to test downfield, Cortland Sutton can be really effective in those situations. So if you're the Eagles, you're saying, hey, we've got some serious connections to Cortland. I mean,

Starting point is 00:12:22 Vic Fangio was his head coach for a few years in Denver. And now obviously Matt Russell was part of drafting him back in 2018 when he was coming out of SMU. So that could make a lot of sense for the Eagles, but also one of their top needs, this offseason is at the cornerback position. and you figure the ink is still drying, as I love to say, on the scouting reports for guys from last year's draft,

Starting point is 00:12:47 you don't think the Eagles would love to have somebody like Jaude Baron in their secondary. And I know, once again, talking about player for player swaps, is this the proper value for a guy that you just drafted in the first round last year to say, hey, Jadae Barron for AJ Brown, and we'll do some sort of pick swap in between with that. That could be an option for the Broncos, regardless of what receiver we're talking about, it could be that Jada Baron or Riley Moss,

Starting point is 00:13:15 even as I mentioned previously, one of those two guys could be a trade piece. And it might not be the most desirable outcome. Because oftentimes when you're putting together these offseason plans, you want to have your cake and eat it too. But in order to get a deal done, it takes two to tangle, right? And so if the Eagles are sitting there saying,

Starting point is 00:13:34 hey, we're going to eat a significant dead money hit here by trading AJ Brown and giving him what he wants. We want something really valuable in return. I mean, a guy who was picked in the first round of last year's draft that would fit Vic Fangio's defense perfectly. That would not necessarily take away from the Broncos because they already have Riley Moss and Jayquan Macmillan opposite, Pat Sertan and Chris Abrams Drain still waiting in the wing.

Starting point is 00:13:59 So they can utilize those assets to potentially get a deal done. Once again, not necessarily saying this is what I would advocate for. but I mean, I would assume that front offices are kind of having these similar discussions behind the scenes. Like, what would it take to get this guy? What would it take to get that guy? So really interesting thoughts either way. And of course, as always, we want to hear from you.

Starting point is 00:14:19 Let us know if you're watching on YouTube in the comment section. Let us know your thoughts on potential big time wide receiver trade. What would you be willing to give up for a player like A.J. Brown or even a J.L. Or George Pickens. What would you be willing to give up for somebody like that if you're the Denver Broncos? Broncos country, we appreciate you so much. Thanks so much for catching this bonus episode of the show. We're going to continue to roll out more bonus content for you,

Starting point is 00:14:45 as well as your regularly scheduled 30-minute dose of locked-on Broncos every single day. But we appreciate you so much. We'll catch you on the next one.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - AJ Brown TRADE IDEAS for Broncos to Consider in 2026 Offseason

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