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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
In the wake of a devastating home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the Denver Broncos showed that just getting close wasn’t going to be good enough.
They showed it by firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi then firing wide receivers coach Keary Colbert in quick order.
They will likely show it in free agency, where they seem destined to sign at least 1 big money, free agent wide receiver despite having drafted the position in spades over the last 3 years.
The place where Broncos fans might be looking to see if they’ll make a change with the most curiosity is in the trade market, where one of the NFL’s handful of elite wide receivers seems available in Philadelphia Eagles superstar A.J. Brown.
For the Broncos, making a trade for Brown would cost a pretty penny in terms of salary — he’s on a 3-year, $96 million contract extension he signed before the 2024 season — and the Eagles might be asking for multiple 2nd round picks in return.
There’s a lot of reasons the Broncos should make a trade for Brown, but it’s a risk-reward scenario with enough red flags surrounding it they might want to stay out of these particular trade waters.
Brown: As Dominant As He Is Divisive
The Broncos have spent the last 3 seasons under head coach Sean Payton not only turning themselves into an elite NFL franchise again but creating a locker room dynamic where bonds are formed and the team, it seems, really digs each other.
That’s not easy to come by in the NFL.
Just look at what’s happened with the Eagles and Brown over the last few years.
In 4 seasons in Philadelphia since he was traded from the Tennessee Titans in 2022, the Eagles have played in 2 Super Bowls, won 1, and been in the playoffs each year.
In that time, there’s been as many headlines about Brown ccomplaining about the offense or quarterback Jalen Hurts as there have been about him catching passes.
Brown is the type of player who will complain during a winning streak if his stats aren’t what he wants them to be. He’s the type of player who won’t give it his all if the ball isn’t coming his way.
“Few things are as frustrating than when you can optically see that (lack of effort) from one of your teammates,” former Eagles center Jason Kelce said during a radio appearance on Thursday. “Whatever was affecting A.J. (in 2025) was affecting the Eagles as well … he’s just unfortunately a player who allows his internal frustrations to manifest into his play, and it makes him play worse and makes the offense worse.”
Sutton Has Been Loyal Soldier for Years
The Broncos coughed up relatively big money for current WR1 Courtland Sutton before the 2025 season with a 4-year, $92 million contract extension, and Sutton has essentially been the opposite of Brown during his time in Denver.
Coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, Sutton raised eyebrows recently with a “Chapter Closed” post on Instagram — something he quickly clarified was not about him leaving Denver.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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