Bills, Broncos, Browns Brokering Blockbuster Trade
While actual “player for player” deals have returned to fashion of late- Foles/Bradford, Graham/Unger, McCoy/Alonso in 2015 alone- it’s been awhile since the NFL has seen a blockbuster three-team deal the likes of what appears to be in the works between the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos.
Not only does this look like a huge deal, but it makes sense for all three teams.
The key player here is disgruntled Bills QB Tyrod Taylor, whose agent Adisa Bakari has publicly stated disgust for the organization’s handling of his client’s contract.
Taylor, coming off a Pro Bowl season, is due to earn a paltry $3 million in 2016. Saddled by a host of ill-advised big money (McCoy, Clay, Incognito) contracts, the Bills have painted themselves into a corner with Taylor and are at serious risk of seeing him walk as an unrestricted free agent in 2017.
With the unanticipated departure of once-presumed incumbent Brock Osweiler, the Broncos are searching for Peyton Manning’s replacement and smell blood in the Buffalo water.
Until now, they haven’t had enough trade ammunition to get the deal done as sources close to the situation tell us the Bills will only consider trading Taylor “if a commensurate QB asset comes in return.”
Enter the Browns and their number 2 overall pick.
Still smarting from the Johnny Manziel fiasco, Cleveland feels confident at QB with newly-acquired Robert Griffin III but seeks a bevy of additional picks to take a swing at the QB pool while still making reasonable “roster-filling” decisions.
Sources close to Denver management tell us the nuts and bolts of the deal are “pretty much done” pending Cleveland approval.
Here’s the rough draft of what we’re hearing.
Category: sports feature