Brandon Marshall Only Receives First-Round Tender From Broncos, Perhaps Sets Up Trade

The Broncos have only placed a first-round tender on restricted free agent Brandon Marshall, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, perhaps clearing the way for the mercurial receiver to head out of town.

With a first-round tender, the Broncos have the right to match any offer another team makes for Marshall, and would receive that team’s first-round pick as compensation should Denver decline to match the offer.

The fact that Denver did not give Marshall the highest tender — a first and third-round pick — would seem to indicate that they are still more or less looking to trade him. While first and third-round picks would be a prohibitively high price for a team to pay for a talent even of Marshall’s caliber, a first-round pick would be a much more palatable one. For a team picking late in the first-round, like the Ravens or Jets, acquiring Marshall for a late first-rounder might be too much to pass up. So by only placing the first-round tender on Marshall the Broncos are basically trying to induce one of those late first-round teams with holes at wide receiver to sign Marshall long-term, and get back a first-rounder in return.