Eight months ago, the Broncos’ brass saw a surplus. Devaughn Vele was 27 years old, and cheap, and was set to directly compete for snaps with third-round rookie receiver Pat Bryant. So George Paton flipped Vele to Sean Payton’s former team in New Orleans, and the Broncos sit generally better for it, with an additional fourth-round pick handy in this 2026 draft.
That was the last time these Broncos made a significant trade, with no in-season deals coming last season. As Denver approaches free agency with quite a few position groups already tied up for 2026, though, that surplus could come into play again for Paton and crew.
The Broncos have several assets at a variety of spots who’d present tantalizing value league-wide, and making a move could help clear up further spending power once free agency hits next week. The club currently sits with about $28 million in estimated cap space. Here are five potential trade chips that Denver could look to dangle on the phones.
Jarrett Stidham, QB
2025 stats: One playoff start, 17-of-31, 133 passing yards, one TD, one INT
Contract status: Expires after 2026
What the Broncos would save in cap room by trading him before June: $6.5 million
Denver will always be Stiddy City for that week in January. Faced with no other choice, the entirety of the Broncos’ fanbase rallied around their cucumber-cool backup quarterback in the AFC Championship Game after Bo Nix’s stunning season-ending injury. The building believed in Stidham, too. He just never quite got a fair shot. A highlight 52-yard bomb to Marvin Mims Jr. against the Patriots was mitigated by a disastrous fumble and a second-half snowstorm.
The Broncos have prioritized Stidham since head coach Sean Payton arrived in 2023, and Stidham has signed two separate two-year deals to stay in Denver as a backup. But NFL teams have poked around Stidham for years — the Patriots, in fact, checked on him before Stidham re-signed in Denver last offseason — and The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported Wednesday that teams have reached out to the Broncos on a possible Stidham trade.
Payton has said multiple times he feels Stidham could be a starter for several NFL teams; if there is indeed a team that views him that highly on the market, the Broncos could recoup a significant haul for him. This particular NFL Draft class is remarkably light at quarterback, which could further drive up Stidham’s value. Denver would be smart to at least entertain this, if it had a plan to replace Stidham (the Broncos could always look to re-sign QB3 Sam Ehlinger).
Ben Powers (74) of the Denver Broncos prepares to take the field before the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)Ben Powers, LG
2025 stats: Eight games, 595 snaps, 15 pressures allowed, 2.5% pressure rate, 0 sacks allowed (per Pro Football Focus)
Contract status: Expires after 2026
What the Broncos would save in cap room by trading him before June: $8.4 million
Denver has employed the same starting offensive line for two years in front of Nix, but 2026 could mark a significant shakeup. The 29-year-old Powers is still a valuable asset and was quietly off to one of the best starts of his career in 2025 before a lengthy absence with a biceps tear. But the Broncos now have close to $76 million in total cap tied up to their starting offensive line alone, and all five of Powers, Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey, Luke Wattenberg and Quinn Meinerz are tethered to substantial long-term deals.
The Broncos have to get cheaper here, at some point. And Denver indeed has a younger, cheaper option in 26-year-old restricted free agent Alex Palczewski, who filled in capably for Powers for 10 starts in 2025 (and earned a random All-Pro vote for it). The Broncos could slap a right-of-first-refusal tender on Palczewski, a one-year deal worth $3.5 million that would enable Denver to match any team’s offer for him, and work toward a team-friendly long-term deal in the meantime.
Powers’ representation met with Denver last week, but the two sides haven’t spoken since, as of Wednesday. A source said they believe Denver could be pursuing trade partners for Powers. The Broncos also haven’t officially put forth a proposal to restructure Powers’ deal, the source said.
Jonah Elliss (52) of the Denver Broncos lines up C.J. Stroud (7) of the Houston Texans during the first quarter at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)Jonah Elliss, OLB
2025 stats: 13 games, 2.5 sacks, 28 tackles, five QB hits, one forced fumble
Contract status: Expires after 2027
What the Broncos would save in cap room by trading him before June: $1.1 million
This is much less about any financial benefit and more about surplus. Denver is so stacked at outside linebacker that it had to finagle several elevations for fourth-round rookie Que Robinson last year as a fifth OLB on gamedays, and the building is high on Robinson’s potential. The Broncos will almost certainly re-up with reserve Dondrea Tillman on a one-year exclusive-rights deal, and will face the same logjam of depth in 2026.
The interesting name in the mix is Elliss, a 22-year-old 2023 third-round pick who’s flashed big-time pass-rush potential when healthy but has been banged up through his two years in Denver. There’s no greater path to snaps for him behind Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. The Broncos could well look to shift Elliss to inside linebacker, given positional needs, or dangle him as a promising edge rusher with two years left on his rookie deal.
Ja'Quan McMillian (29) of the Denver Broncos celebrates his pick six with Riley Moss (21) during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian, CB
2025 stats: Moss: 17 games, 80 tackles, 19 passes defensed, one interception; McMillian: 17 games, 56 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, nine passes defensed
Contract status: Both expire after 2026
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The NFL world now has a point-blank baseline on the trade value of quality corners, after the Rams gave up several arms and legs on Wednesday to swing a trade for Chiefs All-Pro Trent McDuffie.
Yes, neither Moss or McMillian have nearly the resume to draw similar capital as McDuffie got. But Kansas City received a first-round pick, a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft for McDuffie — and a third-round pick in 2027. The Broncos love having a variety of options to develop at cornerback, but they’ll soon have to make some complicated decisions in their secondary. Moss and McMillian will both hit unrestricted free agency after 2026, and the Broncos wouldn’t love first-round pick Jahdae Barron to sit behind both of them for a second straight season.
This isn’t a likely option. Moss’s camp strongly believes he’ll be back in Denver in 2026, and McMillian is an incredibly valuable asset as the starting nickel in Vance Joseph’s defense. But a route will need to be paved for Barron soon enough.
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