The NFL trade deadline might still be a ways off — Nov. 5 — but if you’re looking for a team that might be willing to make a deal, keep your eyes on the Denver Broncos.
On Sept. 20, ESPN’s Dan Graziano listed Denver backup quarterback and former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson among his top candidates to be on the move via trade by the deadline and had the Los Angeles Rams as Wilson’s top possible landing spot.
“With (Jimmy) Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett behind (Matthew) Stafford on the depth chart, the Rams lack a high-ceiling developmental quarterback,” Graziano wrote. “You can question whether Wilson is that, but if coach Sean McVay were to think he could work with Wilson’s game, who knows?”
Wilson has yet to be put on the active roster but has been the emergency third quarterback for the Broncos through their first 2 games — losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wilson Could Still Be Deft Investment for Broncos
The Broncos received Wilson and a 7th round pick from the New York Jets in exchange for a 6th round pick in April 2024 — getting a 6th round pick back from the Rams or another QB-needy team would have to be looked at as a win.
Wilson opened training camp as one of three quarterbacks in the running for the starting spot but quickly got put behind rookie Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham, with Nix ultimately becoming the first rookie starting quarterback to open the season for the Broncos since Pro Football Hall of Famer and 2-time Super Bowl champion John Elway in 1983.
If Wilson does have trade value moving forward, he needs to get the lion’s share of the credit because he did so by playing so well in the preseason.
The Broncos finished the preseason 3-0 and Wilson played all but one possession against the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason finale. Against the Cardinals, Wilson finished 16-of-25 passing for 251 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions to go with 22 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown.
Rams Rejuvenated Career For Elite NFL QB
If Wilson does end up with the Rams, he can look at the current NFL landscape and see another quarterback who took that path and ended up bringing his career back to life.
After 2018 No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers in 2022 and lasted just 6 games there before asking for his release, Mayfield signed with the Rams after a season-ending injury to Stafford.
Mayfield impressed enough in his short time with the Rams that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to a 1-year, $4 million contract to be the starter in 2023 after Tom Brady’s second retirement. Mayfield responded with the best year of his career, made his first Pro Bowl and ended up signing a 3-year, $100 million contract with the Buccaneers in March 2024.
Considering Stafford’s age — he’s 36 years old — and injury history, were Wilson to actually get an opportunity to learn under Broncos head coach Sean Payton and then McVay in such a short period of time it might finally tap into the potential the Jets saw when they picked him No. 2 overall out of BYU in the 2021 NFL draft.
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