The Denver Broncos may be looking for a massive offensive weapon before or during the 2025 NFL Draft and a wild trade prediction has them gaining one, but at a relatively major cost.
In this scenario, the Broncos would acquire Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins to add a speedy option who has had a tremendous start to his career to a young wide receiving corps. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Waddle has caught 260 passes for 3,535 yards and 18 touchdowns in his young career.
However, he saw a huge dip in his numbers last year, catching only 54 passes. The Dolphins have been connected to trade rumors involving their other top wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, all offseason. Would they really move Waddle?
If they received the package that has been put forth in the proposal made by Coby Leibowitz of Athlon Sports, they very well could. The Dolphins would get Denver defensive lineman Zach Allen as well as some picks in the deal. Here are the full trade details:
Broncos receive: WR Jaylen Waddle, 4th-round pick (No. 135 overall)
Dolphins receive: DL Zach Allen, S P.J. Locke, 4th-round pick (No. 122 overall), 6th-round pick (No. 191 overall)
It seems that Waddle may be being overvalued here just a bit. Allen is coming off a season in which he probably should have been in the Pro Bowl. In addition, the Broncos give up reserve safety and core special teams guy P.J. Locke as well as giving up a higher fourth-round choice.
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Waddle is still in his prime and can be a special player, but it's hard to see this deal being considered seriously. Allen will be an unrestricted free agent following this season, but the Broncos would like to get a contract extension done with him before then.
In addition to Allen, the Broncos will also have to find a way to pay Courtland Sutton, Nik Bonitto and John Franklin-Myers. It may be difficult, if not impossible, to pay them all, so a trade like this is the kind of drastic move the team could make.
That said, it doesn't seem like the kind of deal George Paton and Sean Payton are inclined to make as they would prefer to keep the nucleus of an emerging defense together.
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