The sports world was buzzing Monday following a pair of blockbuster NFL trades featuring 2 of the league’s top-billed superstars.
The 1st sent 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams, followed by 3-time NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the New England Patriots.
Perhaps the biggest loser on a day when Super Bowl hopes went skyrocketing for the Rams and Eagles ended up being another Super Bowl contender — the Denver Broncos.
In a matter of hours, the Broncos, who went 14-3 in 2025 and earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs, went from not having to face 2 of the NFL’s best players to having them almost bookending their schedule.
Denver hosts the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 3 and travels to face the Patriots in Week 17. The Broncos were not scheduled to face either the Browns or the Eagles in 2026.
“The Broncos play both teams who made blockbuster trades today: SNF Week 3 vs Rams and Myles Garrett Week 17 vs Patriots and A.J. Brown,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account on Monday.
Super Bowl Odds Might Reflect Broncos’ Bad News
The Broncos seemed set up as clear-cut Super Bowl favorites in 2026 — they bring back almost their entire team after making it to the AFC Championship Game last season.
The oddsmakers think differently, which is perhaps a direct reflection of the uncertainty surrounding the return of quarterback Bo Nix from a fractured ankle suffered in last season’s AFC Divisional Round.
According to Bet365, the Broncos have the 13th-best odds (+2000) to win Super Bowl LXI on February 14th at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams were already Super Bowl favorites before the Garrett trade at +750 odds.
“The Broncos are outside the top 10 in Super Bowl odds,” DNVR Broncos wrote on its official X account. “Low or fair?”
The Broncos have made the playoffs each of the last 2 seasons after an 8-year drought following their last Super Bowl win after the 2015 season.
Broncos Have Grim Outlook on Over/Under Wins
DraftKings put the Broncos on notice in February with the release of its first over/under win total projections for 2026, tabbing the Broncos at 9.5 wins (-110).
Perhaps the final slap in the face came with 2 more projections in the AFC West Division — the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers both at 10.5 wins.
The Chiefs went 6-11 in 2025 while the Chargers went 11-6.
“I mean … the Chiefs will get back Patrick Mahomes after his injury, and the Chargers had some injuries they dealt with, as well,” ESPN’s Damien Woody said in February. “But that seems pretty low for the Broncos … the AFC West is going to be a battle.”
Originally projected to miss just 4-6 weeks of surgery at the end of January, Nix had a surprise, follow-up surgery on his ankle in April that now promises to keep him out until possibly the start of training camp.
“This was a big talking point in Denver because everybody was going ‘He’s ahead of schedule’ from (owner) Greg Penner to (head coach) Sean Payton to (general manager) George Paton,” Bleacher Report’s James Palmer said in April. “Everything is perfectly fine. Easy procedure … and then he has a 2nd procedure, and it slides him back a little bit. But he’ll be on the field in June, and he’ll be full-go in July, so when training camp starts, he should be right there.”
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