Good morning Broncos Country!

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the San Francisco 49ers offered the Denver Broncos a third-round pick for veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Their plan was to trade for Sutton and then send wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Broncos obviously declined, so the Steelers ultimately did not get Aiyuk.

Yesterday, the 49ers re-signed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million contract extension, and he has obviously withdrawn his trade request. So the Steelers can blame the Broncos for not giving quarterback Russell Wilson an elite receiving threat.

If that were true, a third-round pick for Courtland Sutton would be a pretty good value, but the timing of this deal wouldn’t have made sense. You’d be cutting your number one receiver a month or so before the season even starts, while you have a promising rookie quarterback. If they offered this deal in March or April, it would make more sense, because you’d have time to replace him on offense. It would have been an odd move to do it in mid-August, while your rookie quarterback looks promising, even with the good value.

Ultimately, the Broncos declined and kept Sutton on the roster, which seems like the right decision to me given the circumstances. You also screw Wilson and the Steelers, who have some bad blood for obvious reasons, and play them in week two of the season.

So what do you think Broncos Country? Would you have done this deal, or do you think the Broncos made the right decision?

Horse tracks

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