Reports: Broncos had inquiries from 49ers, Eagles on Pat Surtain II
Nov 12, 2023, 7:51 PM
Ultimately, the Broncos let midseason pass without making any trades beyond the Week 5 deal of Randy Gregory to the San Francisco 49ers. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t interest in Pat Surtain II.
And there was a bit of gamesmanship involved.
Hours after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the San Francisco 49ers “checked in on” the possibility of trading for Surtain, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that the Philadelphia Eagles also checked in on the possibility of trading for Surtain.
“They both were calling the Broncos, and they each were concerned that the other would end up with Surtain,” Florio wrote.
The 49ers and Eagles, of course, are two primary contenders in the NFC title race. They met in last January’s NFC Championship Game, with Philadelphia advancing.
Both teams acquired key defensive players near the deadline. San Francisco acquired Washington defensive end Chase Young, while Philadelphia traded for Titans safety Kevin Byard.
Each club apparently wanted more.
But they weren’t going to get it from the Broncos.
One day before the Oct. 31 trade deadline, Broncos coach Sean Payton made it clear that the Broncos were not “even remotely shopping anyone” to other teams.
“So, have people called? Sure, they have,” Payton said. “And typically, the buyer wants the media to know they’ve called. Not the seller.”
Denver won its last two games before the Week 9 bye and could work its way back into the wild-card conversation in the NFC race with a win in Buffalo on Monday night. Of course, its mountain to climb looks a bit steeper now after its next three opponents — Minnesota, Cleveland and Houston — all won Sunday.
Minnesota defeated New Orleans in Josh Dobbs’ first start for the Vikings; they are now 2-0 since Kirk Cousins’ season-ending injury. Cleveland rallied to stun the Ravens on a last-second field goal. Houston also won at the final gun, stunning Cincinnati as rookie QB C.J. Stroud appears to be emerging as a star.
So, the Broncos have a tough path ahead of them.
But they’ll make it with Surtain, despite two of the NFC’s top teams having interest.
