Report: Broncos ‘showed interest’ in Travis Etienne before he picked Saints

The Denver Broncos still haven’t signed a new free agent this offseason.

They’re the only team in the NFL with that distinction as clearly GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton are ready to run it back with a team that went 14-3 last year.

But just because they haven’t made an external move doesn’t mean the Broncos aren’t poking around.

Running back Travis Etienne signed with the New Orleans Saints, but before his introductory press conference on Friday he revealed that Denver was in the mix.

Travis Etienne told me the Chiefs and Broncos were two teams showing interest in free agency, but once the Saints entered the picture the decision became fairly simple. @wwlamfm

— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) March 13, 2026

Etienne ultimately got four years and $52 million from the Saints so it would have been an expensive price to pay for a running back. He’s also from Louisiana and has made no secret he’s excited to return to his home state.

The Broncos, meanwhile, are instead bringing back both J.K. Dobbins and Jaleel McLaughlin, looking like their running back room will be largely the same with those two plus RJ Harvey and Tyler Badie.

Still, it’s curious that Etienne let it be known he heard from the Broncos. Did Denver balk at the price? Was Etienne sold on the Saints no matter what? Those are questions that still linger.

This revelation likely won’t make fans in the Mile High City feel any better, but at least Paton and Payton picked up the phone.

We’ll see if something fun is coming or if the status quo holds before the NFL Draft next month.

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