The Denver Broncos are coming off a couple of strong weeks, beating the Philadelphia Eagles and then moving on to a win over the New York Jets, where they held Justin Fields and the Jets' passing offense to -10 net passing yards.
But, they only won 13-11, showing that there's still room to improve the offense. While JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, and Evan Engram have been solid additions so far this season, Denver is still in need of some offensive firepower, and could look to improve that at the trade deadline.
One prediction, from Bill Barnwell of ESPN, has Denver landing Sean Payton as a new offensive weapon. Except, it's not just any weapon, it's a player on the New Orleans Saints that Payton loved to utilize when he coached in New Orleans. That player is, of course, Joker candidate Taysom Hill.
The Broncos are predicted to trade for Taysom Hill, giving Sean Payton a familiar face to be Denver's 'joker'
Barnwell predicts that the Broncos, to land Hill, would need to send a 2028 sixth-round pick to bring back Hill and a 2028 seventh-round pick. Adding Hill to the Broncos offense would be a fun fit, especially with his strong connection to Payton.
"Let's reunite Hill with his biggest fan," Barnwell writes. "Sean Payton's Broncos have plenty of playmakers, but they could always stand to add another threat on short yardage and in the red zone."
Hill is a versatile player who can take snaps at tight end, running back, or even quarterback. Adding him to the roster would significantly elevate the offense and help the Broncos improve their short-yardage packages.
Now that Hill is back and playing for the Saints, after missing time to begin the year recovering from a torn ACL, the veteran offensive chess piece could be a reasonable trade target for the Broncos.
Throughout the offseason, Payton expressed his desire to land a "joker" for the offense. While Engram was speculated to be such a player, he's been a bit of a disappointment so far, having just 137 yards in six contests so far this season.
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Hill signed a four-year, $40 million contract through the 2025 season, meaning that the 35-year-old is a free agent at the end of this season. Instead of the Saints holding onto him and letting him walk, landing any sort of compensation would be worth it.
In this prediction, the Saints would get something in return for Hill, while the Broncos wouldn't have to give up much to land a skilled player to elevate the offense.
New Orleans is hurting for cap space, which would make any trade difficult. But in this case, trading Hill would save $2.5 million in cap space, further making this trade a reasonable one for all parties involved.
The Saints would get a better draft choice and save $2.5 million in cap space, while the Broncos and Payton would land a joker, and Hill would join a team that's 4-2 rather than the Saints at 1-5.
Hill is nearing the end of his NFL career, and what better way to go out than to reunite with the head coach who helped him become one of the best gadget players in the NFL in Sean Payton.
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