Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton held his weekly press conference on Monday. When asked about trading before the deadline, he said, “We’ll see.” With less than three hours before the deadline, Denver fans are on the edge of their seat waiting on a potential trade.
A headline in a CBS Sports longform piece read “Don’t sleep on Payton’s fireworks.” The Broncos could be in play for a former top-10 pick.
Broncos May Acquire Jaylen Waddle
The Broncos may break X with the acquisition of Waddle. In his Miami Dolphins section of his article, CBS Sports’ Jonathon Jones wrote the following:
“Miami made what may be the biggest trade in the closing days of trading, sending Jaelen Phillips to Philly for a third-round pick (thanks to eating plenty of his contract.) Miami will listen to calls the rest of the day on Bradley Chubb, Matthew Judon, Minkah Fitzpatrick and, yes, Jaylen Waddle.”
He then further broke down the details for Waddle, writing, “The cover charge to have a conversation with interim GM Champ Kelly on Waddle is a first-rounder and then some, which is actually being discussed in some buildings even if the asking price seems unlikely to be reached.”
As the current No. 3 seed, and aspirations of a playoff run, the Broncos may look at their first-round pick as disposable. If so, the Broncos may have to throw in a Day 3 pick as well as a sweetener. At worst, a first and fifth should be enough to acquire Waddle. At best, a first and fourth might be a cherry on top.
MORE: 2025 NFL Trade Deadline Tracker
The only reason the Broncos are in this position is due to an expedited rebuild in Year 2 under Bo Nix. After a 10-7 rookie season and a playoff appearance, there’s no fall off with Nix in Year 2.
The Broncos are 7-2, and a perennial playoff team looks like Denver’s floor with Nix. So, the potential acquisition of Waddle moves the needle and puts respect on the Broncos’ current No. 3 seed in the AFC Conference.
Waddle’s cap number is just over $8 million, so the Broncos would have to trade away players to shed cap space or restructure a contract to fit him under their cap. The Broncos have a total of just over $4 million in cap space.