BRONCOS GO ‘ALL-IN’ WITH RUSSELL WILSON

BY ADAM GREENE

Last year the Los Angeles Rams shocked the NFL world by tossing a boatload of picks and Jared Goff in a to-go bag and shipping them to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford.

There were rumblings, rending of garments and gnashing of teeth that the Rams overpaid for Stafford, that they mortgaged their team’s future for a quarterback. Nearly a year later, celebrating a Super Bowl Championship, no one questions what Los Angeles did now.

Now, teams are trying to replicate it.

As such, the Denver Broncos watched all that unfold, looked at their present day roster that was filled with talented players and ready to win, and decided they too would like to slide all their chips into the center of the table.

Tuesday, the Broncos shipped quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, their 2022 first round pick (No. 9 overall), 2023 first round pick, two second round picks (No. 40 overall in 2022 and a 2023 pick) along with a 2022 fifth round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Russell Wilson and a 2022 fourth rounder.

I guess that fourth rounder served as a gratuity.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE BRONCOS?

Well, the simple statement is, it immediately makes them a contender. As of this writing, the Broncos are now the No. 3 favorite to win the AFC at +650, behind only the Buffalo Bills (+400) and Kansas City Chiefs (+475) and two spots ahead of the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals (+1200).

And the Super Bowl? They’re now tied for fifth in the odds with the defending Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams at +1200.

It’s quite a jump for a team that was a non factor in any realistic 2022-23 season scenario a week ago. It shows the impact Wilson is expected to have and also the roster, even minus the players Denver included in the deal, they should be able to unleash on the field.

Of course, where DangeRuss goes from the NFC West, the consensus best division in football for the last few seasons, he now makes the AFC West the best division in football.

The quarterbacks alone are a veritable Pro Bowl roster with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr and now Wilson.

Two teams from that division made the playoffs last year. If Chargers head coach Brandon Staley didn’t call a time out in their Week 18 game with the Las Vegas Raiders in overtime, three teams would have punched their ticket.

Thursday the Chargers traded second and sixth round picks to the Chicago Bears to add Khalil Mack to their defense. The arms race is on in the AFC West.

Do I think Denver with Wilson can knock off the Chiefs? It’s possible. Kansas City stumbled last season and Patrick Mahomes family is a consistent distraction. The problem is that the Josh McDaniels’ Raiders should be better as long as the new head coach doesn’t immediately trade away his starting quarterback.

And the Chargers, as Rams disciples (and roommates) probably aren’t done making their own trade and free agency splashes.

My guess is a Wild Card round appearance for the Broncos, especially since even the last two teams that capitalized on their shiny new elite QBs (the 2021 Rams and the 2020 Buccaneers) all had midseason stumbles in the first year. LA went winless in November and the Bucs were swept by the New Orleans Saints in the regular season and came into the playoffs as the Wild Card.

If you believe Wilson can avoid that kind of stumble and slide into Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s offense seamlessly, then you might want to look at Russ’s MVP odds, currently sitting at fourth at +900. Keep in mind, Wilson has never received even one MVP vote in his career.

Josh Allen (+600) is the favorite there and if I’m picking today, he’s the guy.

WHAT ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS?

With the Wilson trade, cutting Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner and apparently placing wide receiver Tyler Lockett on the trading block, it’s obvious that the Seahawks are going for a complete rebuild.

Or, maybe not? There is still an elite QB out there on the market and his price, I’m guessing, has taken a dip with the Washington Commanders trading for Carson Wentz, the Green Bay Packers keeping Aaron Rodgers and Denver acquiring Wilson.

With so many jobs getting snapped up, there’s just so many places the Houston Texans could trade Deshaun Watson and, even then, they have Jimmy Garoppolo out there, who would  be a significantly cheaper option and come with far less baggage.

The Texans have to move on from Watson, but have no desire to cut him. They need to get something out of the deal. Perhaps a piece of the Seahawks’ Wilson haul will be enough.

Seattle could go to war with Drew Lock for a season and reap the future Top 10 draft pick from that. They could also like what they’ve seen out of this incoming rookie class and take one at No. 9. Seahawks super fan and ESPN analyst Mina Kimes is already pushing for Liberty quarterback Malik Willis at that spot. In a run heavy Pete Carroll attack, he might not be the worst option.

Of course, the NFC West will be in a little bit of flux. While the Rams should remain the odds on favorites, the San Francisco 49ers, I think, will have a down year with Trey Lance at quarterback. That’s not a dig on Lance, but just the reality of being thrown in the fire in at least what used to be the best division in football.

After the trade (and before any other moves), the Seahawks are slated as fourth in the odds in the NFC West (+700) and were there before, only with a smaller payout. They are 13^th in the NFC Championship odds at +3300 and 26^th in the Super Bowl odds at +6600.

Even if you think they make the Watson trade (and they should certainly make the call), he’s looking at probably an eight game suspension, so it’ll be the Drew Lock show for at least half the season. None of these seem like particularly appealing bets to me.

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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