Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Should Denver Broncos Pursue Cooper Kupp Trade?

Starting point is 00:00:00 With the Denver Broncos in the market for a potential wide receiver upgrade this offseason, could Cooper Cup be in the mix here for the Denver Broncos? We'll look at why he should be and reasons why he should not be here on today's brand new episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening in Broncos country? Welcome into another episode, Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast,

Starting point is 00:00:34 as part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, where you know it is your team every day. Thanks to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Thanks to the first listeners for making us part of your day, however you choose to do so. For all your Broncos news, content coverage, analysis, and more that you can't get anywhere else, Lockdown Broncos is the place to be. I'm Cody Rourke, credentialed Broncos reporter from Mile High Sports. Joined as always by Sarah Bedinger, site expert, predominantly orange.com. We've got a great show in store for you here today.

Starting point is 00:01:02 Broncos Country. we'll wrap things up. We're going to be talking about Cooper Cup, should the Broncos trade for him? Should the Broncos maybe not look at trading for him? We'll look at whether or not the Broncos will have interest in him. We'll take a look at why Broncos country thinks that they should not look at trading for Cooper Cup. We're going to kick things off on today's episode of the show by taking a look at why the Broncos should consider making a move here for Cooper Cup.

Starting point is 00:01:23 You'll get that on today's episode of the show. Brought to our friends over there at GameTime. Download the GameTime app. Create an account. Use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. sir obviously some interesting news as the super bowl anticipation is building up here but cooper cup came out on social media himself just a day ago and announced the organization is going to be looking at trading him and immediately this prompts and perks everyone's ears up could the broncos be interested will debate obviously why they should why they shouldn't but i think we should kick off by talking about why the broncos should consider trading for cup they absolutely should be interested in trading for cooper cup now will they do it I mean, there's a lot of complicated details to that answer, right? And you have to consider the financial aspects, you have to consider all sorts of things.

Starting point is 00:02:08 And we'll talk about that with injury history, with Cooper Cups age. He's going to be 32 this upcoming season. And what does it cost in terms of draft capital to make a deal like this happen? Well, we know that trades can be consummated at this time of year. For those that are wondering, hey, I thought that the new league year wasn't until like March. How are you going to make a trade anytime in the near future? teams can agree to trades at this point in time that will become official at the start of the new league year. And the reason why this news is coming out now is because the Los Angeles Rams don't want to get stuck losing all their leverage over the course of the last month now.

Starting point is 00:02:45 So you make Cooper Cup available to teams and you allow teams to kind of decide, hey, can we work this into our financial budget? How does it affect free agency? All those sorts of things. but they absolutely should be interested in acquiring Cooper Cup. How many episodes of this show have we done talking about the wide receiver position needing an upgrade? Talking about the Broncos needing somebody who has strong hands, who can make, you know, chain moving plays for this team, who can make plays in the red zone,

Starting point is 00:03:13 who can do all the dirty work that Sean Payton needs his receivers to do. Cooper Cup is that guy. And we'll get into all the details about his production over the last few years, injury history, things like that. but just on the surface, Cody, he's got two years left on his current contract. He's going to be 32 years old this coming season. For your young quarterback, Bo Nix, why would you not take a risk on a guy like Cooper Cup, even considering he's dealt with some injuries in recent years?

Starting point is 00:03:42 Yeah, I mean, look, I think the biggest key is how do you help a young quarterback? Well, you surround him with some veteran guys that know what they're doing that have done it at a high level. And when you look at Cooper Cup's body work, I mean, you can make an argument in the last handful of years. nobody's done it at a higher rate than Cooper Cup in terms of volume, especially playing for the L.A. Rams. And really, Cup has been a weapon. Not only are you getting a veteran guy who, Sarah is a great blocker on the perimeter in the run game. He's a great route runner as well. He's got reliable hands. The only year he had, I think, a high volume of drops. He had eight in one season. You want to know what year that was that was 2021, Sarah, where he had 145 catches on 191 targets. You want to talk about volume.

Starting point is 00:04:23 That was ridiculous volume. And that year, by the way, he was an Associated Press, All Pro, first team. He was a first team all pro as voted on by the players. He was third in MVP voting and he was offensive player of the year. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2021, right? Okay. Well, you look at his volume as he's gotten older.

Starting point is 00:04:41 Yes, of course, Father Tom is going to catch up with us all. But people say, and we'll obviously address this into the debate as if to make sense or not. A lot of Broncos fans are saying he's on a decline. I mean, Sarah, let me go through these. numbers right here. Okay, obviously in 2024, he played in 12 total games here for the Rams. He had at 67 catches in those 12 games for 710 yards and six receiving touchdowns. To me, is that much of a decline? I don't necessarily agree. So I think when you factor in the circumstances, some of the games that he did miss, which was only, I think he missed a stint of five

Starting point is 00:05:16 weeks because of an injury early on in the season, for him to play in 12 games and still get that amount of yards and that touchdown production. I like that. I mean, that is something that the Broncos need. And you talk about that reliable security blanket option for a guy like Bowenix. Okay,

Starting point is 00:05:29 Cortland Sutton's going to be on his final year of his deal in 2025. You get another veteran receiver like Cooper Cup. That doesn't change anything with your guys like Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, or Devon Valey. As a matter of fact, I feel like that gives you a really strong five wide receivers at that position. Yeah,

Starting point is 00:05:46 imagine having a guy like Cooper Cup to help be another mentor for those guys, right? obviously Cortland Sutton is a team captain and he's a mentor for those guys as well. But imagine bringing in a guy like Cooper Cup who's, you know, he's got a ring in his collection, Cody. He's won a Super Bowl. He's been to the mountain top. He's made those clutch plays. And I just think that, man, you talk about the statistical decline for a guy like Cooper Cup.

Starting point is 00:06:11 I mean, of course, he's not racking up 2,000 yards from scrimmage every year with 1900 receiving yards on top of it all. Like what's happened over the last? last three seasons is that on an average, in every 17 games played, he still has 100 to 1 catches over 1100 yards and nine touchdowns per 17 games played. And so if you want to look at it that way, that's the level at which he's producing at this point. How often have the Broncos had guys producing at that rate over the last handful of years? And he's doing that with in the last two seasons, he's been competing with Puka Nakua for the target share there. And the Rams have also had a number of

Starting point is 00:06:50 other receivers emerging the last couple of seasons as well. 2-2 at well has been playing well for them. DeMarcus Robinson has earned a bigger role for that offense. So if you want to talk about statistical decline, then you'll have to get into the nitty-gritty and make a better stance than just saying, oh, his stats are down. Obviously, he's not as big a part of the offense anymore

Starting point is 00:07:10 because he stinks or because his skills are declining. There's a huge difference between declining skill and declining production. I think that when you look at statistical production, it's still there at a very high level for Cooper Cup. And he is that type of guy, the differentiator between what the Broncos have and what they lack at the wide receiver position. They have guys that can win deep down field, right? They have the big body receiver in Cortland Sutton, who could be the red zone weapon and 50-50 ball guy. They don't have a guy that gets open quickly.

Starting point is 00:07:42 They don't have the consistent chain mover. They don't have the guy that's going to command the attention every time he runs a slant, every time he runs a quickout, Every time he's on the field, he commands and demands your attention. Right now what they have is, hey, it's easy for us to double team Sutton if we need to. When the Broncos are in obvious passing situations, nobody else is getting open. Nobody else is able to catch the ball when they throw it there. That's the problem the Broncos have right now. And that is the exact problem that Cooper Cup in particular for a low price, in my opinion, draft capital-wise, could solve.

Starting point is 00:08:15 Well, and a lot of people worried about what his contract, it's super easy to. restructure a deal, right? And obviously, if there's a trade that does happen, then you can negotiate with that team to take on a certain guaranteed portion of that salary and then you pay the rest. I mean, the Broncos did that with Zach Wilson, though I'm not necessarily Cooper Cup's contract. But, I mean, that's what happens between two franchises. A lot of the times, you know, one team will take half of the salary, you know, another team will take, you know, 25% of it at that point. It's something that the Broncos can do. And look, you're not going out there and you're not going to be extending Cooper Cup on a three or four year deal. You're bringing them in.

Starting point is 00:08:49 because you want to compete right now. You want to maximize your window with Bow Nix right now on a rookie deal. And for all the things you've mentioned, he can still play at a high level. I don't know if you guys watch the playoffs. He had a couple of clutch catches for the Rams, you know, down the stretch there. He's still a very capable player,

Starting point is 00:09:05 understands how to attack zone, understands how to beat man coverage. That's what the Broncos need. And he's sure handed nine times out of 10. You need that here for Bo Nix. Because what do we see in the playoff game for Denver? Drops were an issue. You're telling me a guy like Cooper Cup.

Starting point is 00:09:19 can't move the chains a few times by being a sure-handed guy. You don't need him to run 50 yards down the field, run them at eight or nine yards and get the dang first down. That's his strength. That's what he can do. And I think that the Broncos have a great consideration. I think some of these factors here as to why they should trade for Cooper Cup. But we pulled Broncos country.

Starting point is 00:09:36 We asked them whether or not they believe that they should go out there and pursue. A majority of the Broncos country said yes, but it was close. A lot of people also said, no, we'll highlight why the Broncos maybe should not look at trading for Cooper Cup. We'll break that down much more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to you by our friends over there at Prize Picks. In the big game, it's almost here. And there's no better way to make it more exciting than with prize picks,

Starting point is 00:10:00 the best place for daily fantasy sports with over 10 million members and billions in winnings awarded price picks. They make it fun and they make it simple to get on the action, including the big game here on Sunday. So here's how it works. You pick more or less than at least two player projections. And if you're right, you could want to 1,000 times your cash price picks. They even have a free pick for the big game where Patrick Mahomes only needs to throw for one yard to win.

Starting point is 00:10:23 Pair that with one more correct pick and you're cashing out. Download the app today and use code locked on NFL to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code locked on NFL for $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Price picks run your game. There are certainly plenty of reasons to be against the possibility of trading for a guy like Cooper Cup. talk about age, you talk about injury history, contract, all of those things, plus giving up draft capital. We understand Broncos country, why many of you are skeptical that this is a good idea.

Starting point is 00:10:58 And we're going to debate that on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. And hey, for those of you that make Locked on Broncos, your first listen of the day, every single day, we appreciate you so much. And we do want to talk about this because, look, we understand there's a variety of opinions when it comes to adding players or subtracting players from this roster. and we're going to be doing a lot of that this off season. So if you're not already, hit subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts as well as on YouTube.

Starting point is 00:11:23 We appreciate you for doing that as well. Cody, let's debate this because there's valid arguments against the idea of trading for a guy like Cooper Cup. We talk about age, injury, history. People want to look at free agency. They don't want to trade for Cooper Cup and say, hey, let's kill the idea of T. Higgins or Chris Godwin right now. There's the draft capital you're giving up.

Starting point is 00:11:45 you know, the X, Y, and Z. There's lots of things. So let's start with the age and the injury history, right? Let's talk about why that's maybe not as big of a deal as a lot of fans seem to think that it is at this point in time. Well, you know, a lot of people, once that number three or zero gets attached to it, once you're in your 30s, gosh, I just turned 30 this year, sir. I'm turning 31.

Starting point is 00:12:07 Does that mean that my, I'm going to be declining? I hope that's not the case, my friend here, especially here on lockdown Broncos, No declining, only ascending here at this point. But to get back to it, obviously, people look at age and associate like, okay, hey, that's not good. He's going to be in his 30s. It means that he's not going to be as good as he previously was. And obviously, as people get older, you know, they may weaken in some areas that used to be previous skills for them or strengths for them. But I also see the evolution of players, especially ones that have made it, especially Cooper Cup, whose journey, the way that he's made it into the NFL.

Starting point is 00:12:38 You see players who are smart. Cooper Cup's one of the smartest guys out there. do you adapt your game that allows you to play even longer, right? And I think that's something that we should consider here. But when we hear people talk about injury history, Sarah, I feel like that's just like a low hanging fruit. Like, nah, he's been injured before. He's not going to be good because he's been injured before.

Starting point is 00:12:58 And I want to remind folks of this when you look at the NFL in the grand scheme of all, the bigger picture, every player in the NFL has had an injury. Every player has had an injury history going back to college. Okay. So like this narrative that, okay, hey, a guy's injured. He's never going to play the same again. I think that there is valid concerns when it comes to major injuries. But people had those thoughts on Cooper Cup after he tore his ACL.

Starting point is 00:13:21 What did he end up doing? He came back and he absolutely dominated and added, what was I said earlier, 145 catches like Cooper is the type of guy that, yeah, he's torn his ACL, but he's never allowed that to impact him negatively. He's still an impact player. You know, he talked about ankle sprains. I mean, that was one of the things. He missed five games last season with an ankle spring.

Starting point is 00:13:40 Got put on IR, was able to come back and go out there. and play. Pooka Nakuwa was also banged up a little bit as well for the Rams. So the idea that injury history is just such an easy button for people to say no. I don't agree with it, especially when the Broncos have Bo Lowry, as we have seen the magic that Bo Lowry and his staff has worked. And look, I want to go back to Sean Payton's end of the year press conference. Sarah, you're telling me when he's sitting there and he's talking about unprompted. Nobody brought it up.

Starting point is 00:14:07 But he brought up the fact that the Broncos in two years in a row have been one of the least injured teams in terms of games missed by players. He's brought it up. That was a selling point. That was him before free agency saying, hey, look what we've done here with the amount of injuries that have happened here versus where things have been in the last two years. That's a selling point.

Starting point is 00:14:26 The players out there that are going to be hitting free agency that, hey, this is a place to come. If you've been injured, we'll take care of you. We'll put a program in place that ensures that you stay as healthy as you can. And it has worked and it has been proven, especially Broncos players that I've talked to, especially guys that have dealt with injuries before. they swear by they say Bo Lowry he's a miracle worker

Starting point is 00:14:45 in that regard here that's a selling point here for the Bronco so I'm not buying the injury history thing as a means for them not to pursue him that's one that Broncos country pinpoints out there yeah especially because look you look at his injury history Cody and it's not like he's tearing his ACL every single year

Starting point is 00:15:01 right and it's not a West Welker situation where you're dealing with a ton of concussions I mean we're talking about high ankle sprain you know that's been the big thing over the last two years for him is the high ankle sprain and he's missed five games since 2022, Cody. So I mean, excuse me, he's missed five games since the start of the 2023 season. So that to me is indicative right there that, hey, if it's soft tissue, if it's things like that,

Starting point is 00:15:28 the team might be able to actually help him out with that, not to mention in the age discussion, Devante Adams, Mike Evans, all these guys, there's plenty of guys around the league that have had over a thousand yards into their early to mid-30s. recently, like this past season, Adam Thielen, who we'll talk about in a bit, he racked up over a thousand receiving yards in his first year with the Carolina Panthers who had a quarterback problem. And he did that at the age of 33. So it's not like you can't produce when you get into your 30s in the NFL. I mean, George Kittle, Travis Kelsey, those guys play a much more physical, physically demanding position than does, you know,

Starting point is 00:16:06 Cooper Cup. And look, George Kittle had over a thousand yards this year at the age of 31. and Travis Kelsey. I mean, I know he's lost a step, but at the age of what, 35, the guy's still at around 900 receiving yards. And so those guys know how to get open. NFL veterans at these positions, they know how to get open.

Starting point is 00:16:23 They've got soft hands. They can still make plays after the catch. I don't think that's a problem whatsoever for Cooper Cup. Now, when it comes to the cost of his contract, that's where complications come into the fold. He has guaranteed money left on his deal. He has a base salary of $12.5 million. the Rams would be, it would cost them over 17 million in dead cap to trade Cooper Cup,

Starting point is 00:16:45 who has a cap hit of just under 30 million this season. Now, the Broncos would not be acquiring a $30 million cap hit, right? And like you said, you can renegotiate these deals. Pay him a bonus up front because the Broncos have the cash on hand to be able to do that. Add some void years down the road because after this year, you don't have the Russell Wilson contract on your books anymore. still have Bo Nix on a rookie deal for the next handful of years. You can afford to do things like that. You can afford the afterpay, the Klarna.

Starting point is 00:17:17 We're not talking about the Dodgers who are saying, hey, 20 years down the road, we're going to pay you a billion dollars. We're talking about pennies on the dollar for how much the salary cap is going to increase over the next handful of years. So absolutely, you should look at this in terms of the cost financially when it comes to, hey, if he goes somewhere else, he's probably going to want a new deal anyway. give him a two to three year deal, kick the can down the road a little bit because you can afford to do that. And with a young quarterback, you kind of need to do that.

Starting point is 00:17:47 If you get an opportunity, it's not going to cost more than day three pick, Cody, to get Cooper. If they're talking about cutting him, if he's, if nobody trades. Like what they're saying is give us a pick, any pick. And any pick will do. And we'll trade you Cooper Cup, not to just anybody. I think they'll do right by Cooper and say, hey, here's the teams that are offering like, do you want to go here? They're not going to trade him to the Raiders. They're not going to trade them to the Browns.

Starting point is 00:18:13 You're not going to trade him to any of these crappy teams around the league. They want to trade them to a team that's got a chance. And look, the Broncos are one of those teams. Yeah, they are. And especially, you know, the relationship history is there between both GMs, LA and obviously George Payton here in Denver. They've done trades before. Halo von Miller.

Starting point is 00:18:30 You know, how you doing there, buddy? But the other thing to, too, that like people say, like, you know, he's on a decline. I don't know where this decline has come from. from, okay, he played in 12 games last season. But in those 12 games, he has 67 catches there. 710 yards and six touchdowns. You're telling me you can't add that into the mix of what Denver has. You have two veteran option receivers of Cortland who had over a thousand yards,

Starting point is 00:18:51 eight touchdowns. You got Marvin who had what, close to 700 something yards and what? Six touchdowns himself. Like you had similar production between Cooper Cup and Marvin, but it's not saying, okay, Marvin Cooper's here. You're going to take a back seat. It's okay, hey, Marvin, guess what? We've got Cooper Cup here.

Starting point is 00:19:07 We can put Cortland on one side. We could put Cooper Cup on the other and we can put you inside the slide. We can line you up on the outside. We can line Cup or Sutton on the inside. Like you can move guys around. Even Devon Valle, Troy Franklin, it makes the Broncos better. And to your point, you brought up Adam Thielen a little bit earlier. I know we'll talk about that.

Starting point is 00:19:26 Look what that did for Bryce Young down the stretch when Bryce Young was absolutely turned up. Who did he go to consistently? I mean, he had some really good options, some young developing options there in Carolina. But Adam Thielen was his main security blanket. another thing you need in today's NFL if you were a young quarterback, and I believe the Broncos view that very importantly. So our poll results came out to it. We asked Broncos country whether or not Denver should take a look at Cooper Cup.

Starting point is 00:19:49 57% of Broncos country said yes, 43% said no. Make sure you drop it along here as you're listening to today's episode, locked on Broncos. But now it's time for Sarah and I to share our takes as to what we think the Broncos should or what they will do when it comes to Cooper Cup. Will they have interest? We'll tell you why we think they will. here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos.

Starting point is 00:20:09 Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to our friends over there at game time. And if you're looking for tickets for the next big event, maybe last minute tickets to the big game this weekend, or whether it's a concert, comedy event, or a sports game, finding the right ticket at the right price, it can be a headache. But with game time picks, it's never been easier. Let me tell you how it works. With game time picks, the app does all the hard work for you. It curates the best deals so you don't have to waste your time searching through endless

Starting point is 00:20:36 ticket listings. It gives you everything up front. And the best part, you're covered with game time's lowest price guarantee. If you find a better deal somewhere else, they'll refund 110% of the difference. Plus, your tickets are guaranteed to be delivered on time with easy cancellation options if something comes up. So ready to make your next event better. Download the game time app. Create an account and use code locked on NFL for $20.00 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that's code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-N-FL-L-N-F for $20 off. Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. The fourth quarter action of today's episode, Lockdown Broncos is here in Broncos country. All the everydayers, all the first listeners. Thank you so much for making us part of your day. However, you choose to do so. Make sure you get involved in the discussion on today's episode of the show, whether you interact with us on YouTube or social media at Cody York NFL, at Sarah Bedinger,

Starting point is 00:21:29 at Locked on Broncos. We appreciate you. We've analyzed maybe why the Broncos should trade for Cooper Cup. We analyze why they shouldn't maybe trade for a guy like Cooper Cup. But now let's share our thoughts as to what we think the team will do here. Sarah, and I want to kick things off here with you. When it comes to the question, I sound like Mari Popvich right here, when it comes to the question as to whether or not the Broncos will have interest in Cooper Cup,

Starting point is 00:21:54 Sarah Bedinger, you're the father. I am. Oh, my gosh, there's no way. But you can't prove that. I do think they will go after Cooper, Cove, Cody. I don't know exactly what price they'll be willing to pay, but this is a different offseason for the Denver Broncos. I know a lot of folks are saying, man, the mentality in 24 was, hey, we're young and hungry. We're this young and hungry team. The reason that was the

Starting point is 00:22:19 mentality is because it had to be. You were, you had $90 million less on the salary cap than everybody else. That is no longer the case in 2025, right? And so you had to be young and hungry last year because you're building something. You're building a foundation, right? This season, it's completely different. Sean Payton acknowledged that after the bills game where he said, like, hey, the cap issue is no longer an issue, right? That's, that's becoming a non-issue at this point for the Broncos. You have the ability now to add a veteran player that over a shorter window of time, granted, I get, I think we all would agree. This is a short-term investment. This is not a, let's have Cooper Cup for the next 10 years. But for a short-term investment, there's not many guys. There's not many guys.

Starting point is 00:23:01 that you could convince me that would be better for this Denver Broncos team. We saw the team go after Adam Thielen in the 2023 off season, Cody, that's been reported by multiple outlets that the Broncos tried to sign Adam Thielen, and he ended up choosing the Panthers over the Denver Broncos. And I mean, shoot, like you said it, how much did he help Bryce Young? He racked up over a thousand yards in his first year in Carolina, and then Bryce Young over the second half of this past season. Adam Thielen was absolutely huge. for that team. Cooper Cup can do even more so, I think, because he's 31 going on 32. He doesn't turn 32 until the summer in June sometimes. So I don't think he's too old.

Starting point is 00:23:43 I don't think the injury history scares me off, especially with the Broncos keeping guys on the field with their training staff. The price to acquire a day three pick probably, I mean, shoot, that's no skin off anyone's back. That's a low price. And then you look at the team trying to add veteran guys at this position. I mean, it's all adding up to say, hey, I think Sean Payton, George Payton, they might look at this guy for sure. Well, and to your point, too, because a lot of people, when you bring up the idea of a trade, they're like, no, we don't want to use that capital because it could be a very, you know, that pick could be used towards a really good player. Certainly, there's always a possibility. If you trade a day three pick or even a

Starting point is 00:24:19 day two pick, there's a chance at that play, like you miss out on a player that's legitimately good, right? There's always that possibility. But it's also unproven, right? You can take a really good player, but is that guy going to work out? You don't know. Versus you're getting a guy who's already a proven NFL player, a proven guy who's reliable. You're getting a guarantee out of that player versus, you know, a young guy. Also, Denver's already got a handful of young guys that they're continuing to play and develop at the receiver position. Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, Devon Valle, by age, not necessarily the young guy, but Devon Velae young in terms of NFL experience. Like, you still have three

Starting point is 00:24:57 young players developing. So while wide receiver is not necessarily a big need for the Broncos, adding a guy like Cooper Cup gives the Broncos more, I'd say explosiveness, more ability for the offense to take a step forward. And look, I'm not saying wide receiver is the highest priority over running back or tight end. I think we've been very clear on this show that tight end is probably the more imperative position that Denver adds a pass catcher to and also getting a running back that can help you get the run game going.

Starting point is 00:25:23 So much of that is also going to be the scheme needs to evolve as well. So for me, you add a guy like Cooper Cup to the mix here in Denver and you have these young guys. And let's say Denver goes out and they draft a running back or they sign a running back in free agency or they add a pass catching tight end. You make this offense better right now on paper than you have in the last, I don't know how many years that this Broncos team has been around. It's an instant upgrade and it makes a unit even better, a top 10 scoring offense at that. And Cooper Cup only adds validity to that. I think the Broncos will have interest considering knowing what I know about how Sean Peyton views certain players, how George Payton views players. They'll work out the financial stuff.

Starting point is 00:26:03 That stuff is obviously there. I just think you bring those guys in. It elevates the room of the wide receiver position and it allows you to address some of your other needs in different facets and free agency. And now you bring in and you start building the culture, right? And one thing that Sean Payton said, when we go out there and we add players to this locker room, we need to make sure we're doing right by the locker room by who we add. Cooper Cup, one of the best values you can add to a locker room in terms of leadership presence, how he goes about himself.

Starting point is 00:26:33 He's completely selfless. He does the dirty work. He doesn't disrupt your locker room dynamics in any way, shape, or form. And he elevates you at a position where you could use some more elevation and you need more support, especially as your younger guys develop. I think the Broncos should, and I think they will have interest. And I think it's interesting, too, to look at a couple of folks on Twitter like, you know, Dan Orlovsky, who works at ESPN and Chase Daniel, who works

Starting point is 00:26:57 with the athletic. And Chase Daniel, by the way, played in Sean Payton's offense, was with Sean Payton for a number of years. I think it's interesting that when a situation like this comes about, like, hey, Cooper Cup, he's going to be available in trade. Those two guys immediately suggested that the Denver Broncos should be one of the teams on their short list of teams to be interested in adding him. And why is that interesting to me? It's interesting to me because those guys don't have any skin in the game. It's not like they're Broncos fans sitting there saying, hey, the Broncos should go get this guy.

Starting point is 00:27:27 But also, they're not thinking of it in terms of, okay, well, what about the financial ramifications? What about the, you know, draft pick compensation? Those guys are strictly thinking like, okay, football wise, like, where does this make sense in terms of a football move? And if the Broncos make sense in terms of a football move, for a guy that's played in that offense, a guy that's, you know, operated that offense, a guy that's worked under Sean Payton that's been coached by Sean Payton is saying that the Broncos are a fit for

Starting point is 00:27:56 Cooper Cup like schematically in terms of what the Broncos lack like Chase Daniel watched more Broncos film this past year than did most Broncos fans right I mean I would say 98% of people he watched more Broncos film and if he's sitting there saying hey I've watched all the film I've watched every game of every throw that Bow Knicks made every rep of Sean Payton's offense and he's saying that Cooper Cup is a potential missing ingredient you don't think that's worth listening to. I mean, I think, I think from that aspect, and if you just remove, okay, it's somebody told me on Twitter, Cody, that I'm always looking at the shiny new thing. It's like, no, you consider every option that comes across the desk and you talk about it. And

Starting point is 00:28:36 that's what Twitter is for. This isn't the shiny new thing. This is like, this guy could make a lot of sense, right? Yeah, this is vintage. This is the, you know, what's your favorite 90s movie? I love this potential fit. And it gets, it knocks a, like you said, it's not the biggest need for this team, but it knocks out a huge question mark before the off season even begins, which is another huge asset going into free agency in just over a month. 100% agree with you, T. Here, let me ask you a question, right? Because I think you and I've been very frank about our wide receiver discussion here. Okay, there's two guys in free agency that I absolutely, like for me, I think there's only two guys that I want free agency. It would be Chris Godwin,

Starting point is 00:29:16 T. Higgins. if you get either of those guys, that's going to cost you significantly more money than it would to trade for a guy like Cooper Cup at this point. And on top of that as well, you know, do you want to go out there and fork out a large amount of money? And seeing Broncos fans also say, well, trade for Garrett Wilson. I would love Garrett Wilson in a Denver Broncos uniform, but you want to know something. You think Darren Mojee, even though he's got the connections to Denver, you think he wants to part ways with the legitimate playmaking weapon when really outside of him. You got Devante Adams, you know, potentially not being back.

Starting point is 00:29:46 Aaron Rogers, like those two guys on their way out. You don't want to keep a really good wide receiver one. And that offense for you, I don't think that's going to happen. So it's like, that's not a thing where we know that Garrett Wilson's available. You know, and you got people on social media doing that. Okay, this guy follows these guys on Instagram. This guy unfollowed these guys on Instagram. I don't got time for that.

Starting point is 00:30:06 But what I do know when you look at it logically, right now, when a player like Cup is available and he's your really best option to trade for that we know is available. that makes more sense than going out there and trying to spend a lot of money on a T. Higgins or Chris Godwin, even though both of those guys would be fantastic additions to your roster. I'm okay with either. If it's Godwin, if it's Higgins, or if it's Cooper Cup, those would be three legitimate options that make the Broncos offense even better. And for Sean Payton, give him guys that know how to do it the right way.

Starting point is 00:30:39 I think that's the number one thing. Sean Payton even mentioned sometimes guys aren't running the right routes, things of that nature. And of course, there's going to be an offseason to change with the new. passing game coordinator, you know, some coaches, some front office people are leaving, getting promotions and other jobs. That's going to be a counterpoint here for the Broncos. And look, you need to have veteran guys to be able to bridge the gap between, hey, what happened last year and what happened this year.

Starting point is 00:30:59 I'm excited for I think Broncos should look into Cooper Cup. We'll see if something does happen. Obviously, if something does happen, Broncos country, you know what? We're going to have you covered here every step of the way. Locked on Broncos. With that said, we'll wrap up today's episode of the show for all of you, every dayers. You can get a squad show on tomorrow's episodes.

Starting point is 00:31:16 preview the big game. And of course, there's another trade talk going on. Miles Garrett, Sarah and I will sit down and we'll break down at pros and cons as to maybe why Denver should or shouldn't look into that. But you can get a squad show. You can get that. Plus, we're going to continue our position recap series. We've got one final one left, and that's defensive backs. It's going to be a jam-packed week over here. Lockdown Broncos. Broncos country. We'll see you next time.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Should Denver Broncos Pursue Cooper Kupp Trade?

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.