Brandon Marshall will spend Saturday with the Seahawks as Seattle decides whether to put together an offer sheet for the Denver Bronco's Pro Bowl wide receiver.
- Image by Jeffrey Beall via Flickr
The Broncos placed a first-round tender on Brandon Marshall earlier this week, and Denver will have seven days to match any contract offer the Seahawks make. If the Broncos let Marshall go on his merry way, Seattle would owe Denver their top first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. For those of you keeping track, that means the Broncos would have three top-50 draft picks in 2010… follow closely now…
Denver traded Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears last season, and they got 2009 & 2010 first-round picks in return. The Broncos then traded their own 2010 first-rounder to the Seahawks in return for Seattle’s high second-round 2009 pick. (Denver used that pick to draft cornerback Alphonso Smith.)
The 2010 Chicago pick that Denver retained ended up being the 11th overall when they lost a coin flip with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had an identical record to the Bears’ last season. That left Denver with pick #11, and the Seahawks with Denver’s #14 pick. Seattle also has a top-ten pick, #6, as a result of their dismal 2009 season.
If the Seahawks put an offer on Brandon Marshall and he ends up in Seattle, the Broncos would have the #6 & #11 overall picks in the 2011 draft. They also have the #13 pick in the 2nd round, good for 45th overall. Not bad. In fact, this is probably the best situation available for Denver and Marshall.
Despite The Beast’s impressive set of receiving skills (and his amazing post-catch ability to run through & around opposing secondaries), Marshall has too much negative history in Denver to ever fully develop with the Broncos. Brandon played a role in the shooting death of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, and his relationship with Denver head coach Josh McDaniels is tense at the best of times.
Marshall needs to go, and that’s why the Broncos placed a 1st round tender on him instead of the 1st & 3rd round tender they placed on DE Elvis Dumervil. With the 1st round tender Marshall is marketable, and Seattle would seem a perfect fit.
The Seahawks just watched their #1 receiver, Nate Burleson, exit to Detroit via free-agency. (Major burn.) Their #2 (Deion Branch) and #3 (TJ Houshmandzadeh) are both beyond their prime at 31 & 32 years old respectively. Plus Seattle has seen a rash of injuries at the wide receiver position for two consecutive seasons, and Brandon Marshall is a big, durable player with no history of major injury.
Expect this deal to be done by the middle of next week, as Seattle will not find a better receiver than Marshall in the 2010 Draft. While Denver will not necessarily receive the Seahawk’s #6 pick, they should at least get their #14 back. Negotiation is possible, but Seattle knows that the market for Marshall extends to a number of other teams.
The Broncos just re-signed Brandon Marshall’s proxy, possession receiver Brandon Lloyd, another signal that Denver is fully prepared to let Marshall ride off into the Seattle sunset.
