The Denver Broncos have what seems like almost a perfect lineup on the defensive side of the ball right now.
That includes possibly the NFL’s best secondary, led by cornerback and 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II and NFL All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga.
They also have incredible depth and young talent, which has led to a lot of trade speculation.
“You could look at (cornerback) Riley Moss as being a guy that teams would be calling the Broncos about, because they do have a really deep secondary,” former Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley said during a radio appearance on Denver’s 104.3-FM The Fan on Tuesday. “Then you think about (slot cornerback) Jaquan McMillian, and what you could get for him, and it’s like a 3rd or 4th rounder, and it’s like … no, it’s not worth it, I’ll keep him … for Riley Moss, you could get a 2nd round pick for him.”
The idea of getting that kind of value back for Moss, a 2023 3rd-round pick (No. 83 overall), is tantalizing.
“If I could get a 2nd round pick for Riley Moss, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” The Fan’s Mike Evans said.
Riley Moss Turned Into 1 of NFL’s Elite Corners
Moss has been the Broncos’ full-time starter at outside cornerback the last 2 seasons opposite Surtain — one of the NFL’s most thankless jobs considering teams almost always throw away from Surtain.
Moss was one of the NFL’s top earners in the league’s annual performance-based incentives program following the 2025 season — the bonus system the league uses to pay players with low salaries who play high snap counts.
Moss scored a $1.136 million bonus after starting all 17 games in 2025. It ranked Moss No. 12 among all NFL players who received bonuses, with Chicago Bears cornerback Nahson Wright coming in 1st with a $1.441 million bonus.
“Some exceptional players on that list — including Riley Moss toward the top,” Broncos fan Ron Caphill wrote on X. “Hopefully, Broncos Country appreciates and understands this.”
The NFL’s incentives-based program has been around since 2002 and has distributed approximately $3.8 billion over the last 24 years.
Bonus Almost Equal to Entire Salary in 2025
Moss just finished the 3rd season of the 4-year, $5.4 million rookie contract he signed after he was a 3rd round pick (No. 83 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft.
That contract paid him approximately $1.2 million in 2025, which means his bonus almost doubled his pay.
“Performed-Based bonuses know more ball than you if you think Riley Moss sucks,” 5280 Sports Group’s In The Nix of Time wrote on their official X account.
While it doesn’t seem like the Broncos are making paying a priority at this point this offseason, there’s a good chance that, instead of a trade, Moss never hits the open market. He could very well score a midseason payday like the one edge rusher Jonathon Cooper did in 2024 — a 4-year, $60 million extension right before the NFL trade deadline.
If there is uncertainty about Moss’ future, it’s because the Broncos drafted cornerback Jahdae Barron in the 1st round (No. 20 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft — a player who they watched vastly underperform as a rookie.
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