NFL Trade Machine: Emmanuel Sanders to the Jets

Soon enough, the NFL rumor mill will be swirling. We get it started early with a possible Emmanuel Sanders-to-New York trade that could work…

We’re going to get the NFL rumor mill started early, with some speculation and hypothetical situations involving veteran players. Today, we take a look at the possibility of the Denver Broncos striking up a trade with the New York Jets for veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Why would the Broncos trade Sanders?

Would the Jets actually want him?

Let’s explore…

Why the Broncos might explore trading Sanders…

John Elway and his team in the Denver front office have done a great job of eliminating dead cap since he came on board as the team’s top executive in 2011. The Broncos have annually had one of the lowest dead cap figures in the league, meaning the Broncos are making generally smart free agent moves or at least getting the most return on investment possible.

Even if players aren’t playing well (see: Stephenson, Donald).

But this offseason, the Broncos may have to eat some dead money in order to free up cap space to make moves elsewhere. Trading Sanders would cost the Broncos roughly $5.4 million in dead money if they make the move prior to June, but if they make the trade post-June 1st, they spread the dead money hit in half over the next two seasons.

Therefore, the Broncos could save just under $8 million in cap space this year by trading Sanders post-June 1.

It wouldn’t be a move that screams ‘We’re going for a championship!’ for the Broncos, and that could potentially be their number one reason for holding off on a move like this. But if the Broncos are serious about pursuing a big time quarterback, there’s a bit of a catch 22 here in that they need to make some necessary moves to free up the space to do so.

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Why the Jets might explore acquiring Sanders…

The Jets obviously could use some help at the wide receiver position, and with Sanders’ contract having an ‘out’ at the end of the 2018 season, they could very easily cut bait if things didn’t work out, or they’d have a new number one receiver in the building for a potentially low cost (draft compensation-wise).

The Broncos wouldn’t be able to expect the cap relief from a Sanders trade and a high draft pick, and it’s likely they’re only going to get a mid-round pick in 2019 in exchange for that cap relief.

The Jets would be paying a hefty price against their cap to have Sanders, but for a mid-round pick in 2019, it could be well worth the gamble.

Right now, the Jets have an estimated $81 million in cap space next season, so in addition to going after a quarterback in free agency or the draft, they are going to have cash to spend this offseason and a player like Sanders could help them turn things around quickly.

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