Broncos Make Pathetic Trade For Quarterback Bust

The Denver Broncos, who have been the young brother of the Kansas City Chiefs over the last few years, put themselves in an awkward position this offseason. After benching Russell Wilson for the final two games of the 2023 season and releasing him in March, the Broncos didn’t have a legitimate starting quarterback.

The only quarterbacks on Denver’s roster were Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci, who aren’t starting-caliber quarterbacks. Therefore, the idea started to float around that the Broncos could look to draft a quarterback this year, especially with them having the No. 12 overall pick.

However, it doesn’t seem as if the Broncos will be going the route as they will try to reignite the career of a former first-rounder. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Broncos are acquiring Zach Wilson from the New York Jets. 

Rapoport adds that the trade for Wilson will include a late-round pick swap (6th round pick for a 7th round pick) and the Jets will pay some of his $5.5 million salary.

On the surface, this seems like an okay trade for the Broncos, who are taking a flier on a young quarterback, who hasn’t figured it out yet. However, in a quarterback draft class that is rich with talent, the Broncos might’ve been better off going that route either in the first or second round.

Now, that’s not to say that Denver won’t potentially take a quarterback on Day 3 of the draft, but Broncos fans should prepare for a training camp battle between Wilson and Stidham, which is not great in real life or in Madden.

The former second overall pick in the infamous 2021 NFL Draft has struggled to play like the QB we saw coming out of BYU. Throughout his short NFL career, Wilson has completed 57% of his passes for 6,293 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions.

Last season, Wilson made 11 starts (12 games) for an injured Aaron Rodgers. The former BYU quarterback completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,271 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

That said, Denver fans shouldn’t expect Wilson to magically turn things around with head coach  Sean Payton, who hasn’t developed the last two quarterbacks he coached (Russell Wilson and Drew Brees).

With the news of Denver acquiring Zach Wilson, the Broncos are still a long shot to win the AFC West (+2000 on FanDuel Sportsbook) this season, making them not a threat to the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champion.

More Chiefs news and analysis: