As any good comedian knows, sometimes the funniest moments come when you make yourself the punchline.
Denver Broncos tight end Adam Trautman showed that kind of comedic timing when he talked about returning to Denver after he signed a 3-year, $17 million contract extension on March 8 — just 1 day before he was set to hit the open market.
“I was never looking to move on, absolutely not,” Trautman said on Monday. “(The Broncos) knew that; they told me they wanted me here before free agency … but if they weren’t in it, I had several other opportunities, whether people believe it or not.”
Trautman’s self-diss drew a hearty laugh for the media, but the truth is that the 6-foot-5, 253-pound veteran is an important part of the offense.
In his 1st 3 seasons in Denver, Trautman has yet to miss a regular-season or playoff game — 57 consecutive games with 40 starts.
Trautman has 55 receptions for 587 yards and 6 touchdowns in 3 seasons in Denver.
Sean Payton Made Move to Trade for Adam Trautman
Not long after the Broncos traded with the New Orleans Saints for head coach Sean Payton in January 2023, Payton made a trade of his own that raised some eyebrows.
That came when Payton cut a deal to bring one of his former players on the Saints to Denver, sending a 2023 6th-round pick to New Orleans in exchange for tight end Adam Trautman and a 2023 7th-round pick.
“The Denver Broncos with a bit of a stunner of a trade here on Day 3 of the NFL Draft: Sean Payton adds one of his former 3rd-round picks Adam Trautman, TE from the Saints,” Predominantly Orange’s Sayre Bedinger wrote on X in 2023.
Trautman has been one of the steady pieces in Denver’s offense the last 3 seasons — not a standout by any means — but his value in 2025 seems to be showing in other ways that outperformed even prized free agent tight end Evan Engram, who signed a 2-year, $23 million free agent contract in March 2025.
Take, for example, a brilliant stat compiled by The Denver Post’s Luca Evans pulled from Denver’s 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 15.
It was the 11th consecutive win for the Broncos as they improved to 12-2 ahead of a Week 16 home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Trautman was in the final season of the 2-year, $7.5 million contract he signed before the 2024 season.
“Going through some personnel-group stuff from Broncos-Packers,” Evans wrote on X on December 17. “One thing that jumps out: when TE Adam Trautman was on the field, Bo Nix was 14-of-19 for 196 yards and 3 TDs. 146.1 QB rating.”
Adam Trautman’s Epic Quote Defending QB Bo Nix
Trautman showed he was the ultimate locker room guy when he came to the defense of 2nd-year quarterback Bo Nix in truly epic fashion in November 2025 as Nix found himself the subject of widespread criticism over his inconsistent play.
“If you’re talking (expletive) about Bo online, you’re a coward,” Trautman said. “Absolute coward … He blanks it out … We don’t care what other people think. We know what we have in the building, and we know what he’s made of, and we don’t really care what people have to say, so, Dragonslayer69 with his 7-11 Slurpee in his mom’s basement, I don’t give a (expletive) what he has to say, right? And Bo doesn’t, either.”
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