When the Denver Broncos traded with the New York Jets for quarterback Zach Wilson in May 2024, the most notable part about the exchange was that the Jets had actually found a trade partner for the former No. 2 overall pick.
The paltry sum of the exchange was just a footnote at the time — Wilson and a 2024 seventh round pick (No. 256 overall) in exchange for a 2024 sixth round pick (No. 203 overall).
A footnote until an article from The Athletic’s Diana Russini, Mike Silver and Zach Rosenblatt on December 19 exposed a bizarre detail of the trade. The Broncos had initially requested the latter of two seventh round picks owned by the Jets, which was the final spot in the draft — the “Mr. Irrelevant” slot at No. 257 overall.
The Jets refused. They wanted the worse of the 2 picks.
From The Athletic: “When the Jets traded Zach Wilson to the Broncos, Denver asked for the final pick of April’s draft (257th overall) in the deal. Woody Johnson told Joe Douglas to trade No. 256 instead.He wanted to pick the next Brock Purdy.”
Purdy, the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was famously drafted with the final pick of the seventh round (No. 262 overalL) in the 2022 NFL draft and has blossomed into a Pro Bowler.
The Jets used the final pick on Alabama safety Jaylen Key, who didn’t make the 53-man roster and is not even on the practice squad. The Broncos selected South Carolina offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo, who is on the team’s active roster.
Broncos, Jets Had Another Strange Trade Moment
The Wilson trade wasn’t even the strangest moment the Broncos had with the Jets in 2024.
The Athletic’s article also laid out a potential trade between the Broncos and Jets in which Denver wide receiver Jerry Jeudy seemed headed to New York until Johnson nixed the trade because Jeudy’s rating in the Madden NFL video game was too low.
From The Athletic: “… Johnson didn’t want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating in ‘Madden NFL,’ the popular video game, wasn’t high enough, according to multiple league sources. The Broncos ultimately traded the receiver to the Cleveland Browns. Last Sunday, Jeudy crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career.”
Wilson Has Resurrected Career in Denver
By all accounts, Wilson has resurrected his career in Denver after bottoming out in 3 seasons with the Jets where he 12-21 as a starter and threw more interceptions (25) than touchdowns (23).
With Denver and under head coach Sean Payton, Wilson has been a dutiful backup and served as the Broncos’ third emergency quarterback for all 14 games behind rookie starter and fellow first round pick Bo Nix and veteran Jarrett Stidham.
Wilson is in the final year of the 4-year, $35.1 million contract he signed in 2021. Wilson will likely find a new home in 2025 as a backup or fill-in starter for a team with a young quarterback — something in the range of the 1-year, $6 million contract Marcus Mariota signed with the Washington Commanders in March 2024.
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