With less than 48 hours remaining until the trade deadline, the interest shown in some of the top available players continues to heat up. A pair of serious suitors has been identified in the case of one big-name pass rusher. 
A league GM informs NBC Sports’ Peter King that the Jets and Dolphins are “interested” in acquiring Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb. He adds that both teams could be willing to part ways with a first-round pick to land the 26-year-old, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season.
While that fact has made Chubb a prime trade candidate amidst the Broncos’ unexpected struggles, it also makes a Day 1 selection a steep price to pay for a midseason rental. For that reason, King adds, a deal involving a first-rounder would only be consummated if an extension were to be in place. It was reported last week that second- and third-round picks were likely to end up being the price for the former No. 5 pick – just as they were last season for Von Miller.
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From a financial standpoint, both Miami and New York would need to undertake in some financial maneuvering to land Chubb. The Dolphins and Jets rank mid-pack in terms of current cap space, and neither has the room to fully absorb the $7.1MM remaining in Chubb’s 2022 compensation. Small extensions and/or restructures could open the door to a deal being possible, though.
Chubb has enjoyed a resurgent 2022 season, one in which Denver’s defense has played as one of the league’s elite units. He has 5.5 sacks, a welcomed sight after he was held without one last season. Ankle surgery limited him to seven games played in 2021, adding further to his injury troubles (resulting in 24 missed games across his first four NFL seasons).
Yesterday’s win over the Jaguars may have eased concerns about the Broncos’ offense and head coach Nathaniel Hackett‘s job status slightly, but at 3-5 the team could still very well find themselves in selling mode over the next two days. Denver is reportedly willing to move a number of players, a list which could include not only Chubb but also wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, running back Melvin Gordon and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Regardless of the market for those players, however, an enticing offer for Chubb could be coming soon.
It would be dopey for anybody to cough up a first rounder for Chubb, but especially the Jets. Chubb is a pending free agent who missed 24 games over the three years before this one. Hard to think of any realistic scenario where a team should spend a first rounder on a half-season rental.
But for the Jets, come on. It’s fun to see them competing this year, but with the state of Wilson and the offensive line, there’s a limit to how much noise they can make this year. Other than Wilson, they’ve made promising steps for 2023/2024. Saleh loves a stacked defensive front, and you can see why, but considering their needs in the OL and LB groups, not to mention the need to consider changing course at QB, they should be low on the list of teams overspending for a win-now move this year.
If Wilson just had thrown the ball away Jets would have won the game. Rookie lesson he should have learned by now, and needs to not repeat again.
I know Belichick makes young QBs’ lives miserable more often than not, but the sheer number of times Wilson panicked and made things worse was brutal. One of the most discouraging games I’ve seen from him.
Ooof, DL is not a pressing need but OL definitely needs reinforcements. I suspect he will snag an OL if one is to be had. Joey D has done and is doing a hell of a job as GM.
I’m overall happy with Douglas. The makeover to the offensive weapons and secondary has been great to watch over the last year. And it’s nice to see the DL shape into Saleh’s vision. But there’s a limit to how much all that matters unless Wilson improves dramatically or they pivot from him well. And for a guy who’s put a heavy emphasis on the OL, Douglas’s track record has been dicey. Drafting Becton over Wirfs was a strange choice at the time, and it only looks worse. AVT is great, but they traded up to take him and put him at guard, while the guy Minnesota took with the Jets’ traded pick is now a very good tackle. And paying through the nose for Tomlinson because he knew the system and was a known quantity sure ain’t looking so hot either. Not saying Douglas hasn’t done a good job overall, but the weak spots are discouraging, especially given the investment in them.
Wishing Saleh nothing but the best, he helped Ryans get prepared to be such an excellent DC, to which he will likely be gone in a year or two also, but here’s to hoping Saleh can somehow get Gang Green to the playoffs.
Def not paying a 1st rounder for a rental. Might as well just wait and sign him. Wilson does not look like the answer. Not going to win playoff games with him at QB, and also Hall out.
I don’t see the Jets giving up on Wilson, but I was wondering if they were going to pull him and give White a shot at the comeback after that last interception.
As for Chubb, I absolutely agree that this is a move they should not make now. Jets need to stay competitive, for sure, but they still need to keep their eyes on the future. The o-line is less responsible for Wilson’s failures than he is himself, but it can’t be easy to work with so much turnover after losing top talent. The d-line is in much better shape than the o-line, so it should not be the focus of any buyer moves now.
The Broncos will stink for the next five years, thus they should start thinking about 2027.