Great great article.

Marshall has two 100 catches seasons under his belt before he turned 25. That is historically rare in the NFL. If he keeps up this pace of on field production, he is Hall of Fame bound. Or course, if he keeps up his off field antics, he is jail bound. It’s entirely his own doing that Denver can’t give him a new deal right now even if deep down, they wanted to.

Based on his on field production and limitless upside, his trade value is at least TWO 1st rounder picks. Based on his off field antics (one pending) and his hip, BM is essentially un-tradable.

“That makes Marshall’s true value greater to the Broncos than any other team”. Yep! Several of us have been saying this all along.

The rest of football fandom should know the facts. Nice job John.

i voted for a trade. i was ready to trade him when he tried to pull that glove stunt, and his recent actions tell me that he is more worried about himself rather than his team. he doesn’t care if his on-field antics penalize the team, just as he doesn’t seem to care if his off-field antics could possibly hurt the team.

if we can get value, send him packing. he’s a great player, but he’s not a great Bronco

but not because I want to see Denver throw a ton of money at him, instead I think the two party’s can come to agreement on terms that are good for the Broncos and good for Brandon Marshall without having to bully him around. If Marshall doesn’t want to negotiate then we let him sit.

You are correct that Denver holds all the cards which means we have more leverage in negotiations than he does, we can work something into the contract to protect ourselves from his off-field transgressions and his existing injuries. Somthing similar to how we did Arringtons contract would work well.

If we can work this out in that way Denver is protected from what we fear can happen if we sign Marshall to a long term contract, and Marshall gets the money his play warrents. If he wants to keep his money he gets his act together, if he messes up his pay goes way down.

Again if Marshall doesn’t want to work it out in this way we have the power to sit him in which case he loses even more money. Since we’ve got the leverage why not try and work something out with him before we bring down the hammer, it is not going anywhere we can lay down the law if Marshall doesn’t feel like working with us.

On a side note I want to thank you Guru for your leadership in this crazy offseason, I don’t know what I would do without the guidance of MHR to help me see perspective.

wait and see. I suspect that Marshall and his agent may have an inflated view of his worth on the open market. By letting Marshall explore trade possibilities they will most likely find out that other teams have the same concerns the Broncos have and that other teams will insist on incentives and contingencies too.

Even if Marshall gets a deal, the Broncos can still offer to match it. Essentially treat him as a RFA one year early. We don’t need to do anything until someone else bites.

but I am becoming convinced that we will not receive fair compensation for the potential he represents. If an offer with close-to-fair-value came through I’d be tempted, but I have a hard time believing that would happen. I think a combo of hardball tactics gently applied is the best approach for a nice kid like Brandon.

I think it is best for the Broncos if we have a happy, healthy, and productive Brandon Marshall.

does anyone know what you can’t include in a contract?

What protections could not be included? “0 transgressions = full pay; 1 transgressions = crap for pay, get suspended = no pay”

I just don’t know what the player association / league would allow, curious if anyone does?

I’m still in favor of a contract with “keep your nose clean” incentives, but I’d be willing to extend it at mid-season provided the hip seems to be OK. I just don’t think we can get good enough trade value for him because he represents such a rare talent, a good portion of which is still unrefined.

in all the choices above. 1. Trade and not get good value, basically trading for the sake of trading. Heaven forbid that should happen. 2. Show him the money now and the kid ends up incarcerated before the seasons done 3. Make him play, the best option in my opinion, but what if he can’t play due to the hip issue?

What I do like is the Broncos as a team have not spent their time waiting for Brandon to make sure everyone knows the play book. They have moved on because there isn’t time to waste. So the Brandon Marshall saga will continue, but the Broncos move on like he won’t be on the field for whatever reason, supension, hip, holdout.

This boils it right down, without all the extreme language, yada-yada-yada.

IMO, the best Marshall could hope for in Denver or anywhere would be a hugely incentive-laden contract, an all-or-nothing deal. If he so much as reads the Police section in the local paper, he loses. That said, I’d like to see Denver get his signature on a contract like that. Show him they want him, but only IF…

One question, I always thought he fell in the draft because he was viewed as too big for receiver and too small for TE, a tweener. What were the off-field issues in college, more girl-related stuff?

Let’s not forget, however, that the reason Marshall fell to the 4th round is because of his off-field issues in college.

I don’t remember any problems Marshall had in college. I thought he fell to the 4th round because he went to a small school – Central Florida.

I posted a fanpost with a timeline of events regarding Marshall off the field. No commentary from me, just for everyone’s information.

http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/6/18/913525/brandon-marshall-off-the-field-the

the Broncos were fixing to give Marshall a new contract until the latest of his off-field foibles.

BMarsh has given me thrills I have never seen from a Broncos receiver . . . and I’ve seen them all. When I watch that young man play, I can’t help but to ponder how he could become the best in the game.

But would I give a raise to a player who has embarrassed the club with his off-field antics, constant encounters with the police, and perhaps not all that certain about either a hip or yet a suspension that may prevent him from playing? In addition, there is a locker room full of players, watching to see how the Broncos handle this one. The way they handle their own situations in the future may well depend on what the Broncos do with this one.

I don’t pretend to be an authority on this, but it just seems to me that it is incumbent upon the club to consider all the implications, which I believe they are doing at the time. If they simply told Marshall to show up for work, continue his excellent production on the field, and, more important, keep his nose clean off the field for one year, then they will reward him with a very nice contract . . . well, what options would he have? Does he want to take a chance of losing the $2.2 million he already has coming, too?

For the good of the team, its players, its fans, and Brandon Marshall himself, the team just cannot cave in, as I see it. I think the word is “accountability.”

Yes, I am a swing voter.

B-Marsh has bid farewell to the fans on his website blog, no doubt we’ve all read it by now, let’s approach the “make him play” option.
If he is retained and forced to play in Denver, what will be his mental approach?
Playing for a new Contract after 2009 OR the fact that (I’m guessing) he has to recoil from the advice of his agent for his blog post to the fans in Denver ?
He has made some bad decisions as we know, doesn’t stand to reason that he may be a bit uncomfortable in Denver saying he’s all but gone only to return?
Seemed like a risky move by he and his agent
For the record I want him back as well, but I am not a big fan of players sitting out while under contract.

(said again, and I’ll probably say it more)

You want the money? STOP HITTING WOMEN (even if they hit you).

It’s really not that hard.

Brandon Marshall is a splendid player, I love his play and I can forgive him for all the crap, but he is damaged goods in Denver, whether or not he is acquitted. The kid evidently has behavioral problems that require psychiatric treatment. If he doesn’t get treated, I think his success has peaked and he will continue undermine himself. And it may be that it is better if Marshall can start somewhere else with a clean slate.

A troubling thing to me that you did not mention is that last year Marshall was being mentored by Rod Smith. That no longer appears to be true. It worries me that a lot that Marshall does not seem to be getting help. In light of this past year’s incidents, Marshall’s promises to turn things around seem empty. I just wouldn’t trust the guy to get well on his own, and he is a risky hire in the long term even with a healthy hip and an acquittal.
 
So I’d take a trade for a first and one or two more draft picks in a heartbeat. That would allow for another infusion of talent and make the job of rebuilding the Broncos that much easier.

That said, a trade now would seem premature.

The Broncos should wait at least until training camp to see if a) Marshall is healthy, and (b) how they look at the position.

If he is not recovered, PUP.

If he is recovered from surgery and they are short at wide receiver, they have the option to play him this year if they are short, and move him after the season.

If he is recovered and they have receivers, get ready to deal.

The Broncos should also probably wait through the trial. Marshall may be acquitted, and if he is convicted, he can be fined up to a maximum of $1000 and/or sentenced to 1 year in prison, and although a long sentence is unlikely, a conviction would result in an NFL suspension (without pay) for at least a couple of games. If Marshall gets acquitted his value goes up a bit. If he doesn’t, it may go down a bit, but if a trade or contract goes down before the trial, it would be discounted for the uncertainty of the outcome of the trial/league action.

Even IF Marshall plays for us this year, I have a hard time believing he’ll be with us the following year.

I don’t think Marshall will spend more than his intial contract with Denver, if that.

I have no idea what the hell he thinks he’s worth, but if he can’t realistically look at his situation and see that he hasn’t a leg to stand on, then he needs an agent that’s going to actually look out for his best interests. I can’t imagine any team in the league being comfortable with giving Marshall a long-term deal.

I guess I really don’t understand where this is all coming from. Why now? Who the hell has he been talking to that made this all come about? I have no doubt the Broncos would have ponied up big money to pay him had he just shut his trap, kept his nose clean, and played his ass off. What the hell is going on with receivers that think they’re so damn important?

McKinley? There is a much greater probably that McKinley turns into the next Triandos Luke rather than the next BM.

It’s not every draft that a team lands a Top 5 overall talent in round 4. Denver hit a grand slam when they took Marshall in round 4. One of the best draft picks in franchise history. Marshall has done something (TWO 100+ catches seasons before his 25th birthday) that is historically rare. He is a supremely gifted player with limitless upside.

He would not be easily replaced.

It seems like BMarsh was on board with everything going on in Denver, up until the time of his hip surgery. Then he’s abruptly distrustful of the Broncos medical staff, it’s rumored he wants more money, suddenly he’s asking for a trade.

There’s something that hasn’t been made public yet. Whether it be an agent, a conversation with McD or Bowlen, a sudden fear of football mortality, a fear of fewer touches in the new offense, an indication that his next hearing will not go well, suspicion that he will soon be suspended, a text from Jay C, who knows?

It just seems like there’s something we’re all missing given the way this has all shaken out.

I have come to the conclusion on Marshall, (of course the whole, ‘if I was Pat Bowlen’ mindset) that we should make him play, and if he does, and has a good attitude about it (period) Bowlen should then offer a fat contract at season end, so long as the only reason his ‘production’ decreases (if it does) – is not due to injury/attitude (attitude includes benching him because of it). For what that’s worth….

Thanks for the depth and specificity (just don’t try to say it to a cop when you’re drunk)!

make him prove to Denver that he can be the receiver he was last year without JC.. otherwise he needs to stop crying, and stop hitting women..

The Broncos cut linebacker Louis Green as well as safety Herana-Daze Jones, waiving cornerback Rashod Moulton and running back Kestahn Moore.

Green is a special-teams standout who has played in 64 games for the Broncos since 2003, recording 36 tackles in kick coverage.

A fourth-year player, Jones played in the Broncos’ last two games of last season on special teams.

Moulton was on the Broncos’ practice squad last season and Moore is an undrafted rookie from the University of Florida who was signed after the NFL Draft in April

I don’t think we can look at Chad Johnson or Lance Briggs and say “it works.” Those teams struggled terribly last year in the aftermath of those holdout attempts…

Were they the cause of the teams struggles? No. But they were part of the teams problems.

To me, sitting on Marshall is a problem we can’t afford if we want to climb back into the ranks of the elite. That type of soap opera-distraction when the team should be working on coming together is for also-rans.

I say trade him or give in are the only options. And since giving in isn’t really an option….

Somebody will be willing to give SOMETHING for him, and likely more than we are expecting based on his particular issues…

I felt this was an appropriate addition to the discussions here since many people think Brandon Marshall is a diva who we should ship out for the first offer that comes our way (not necessarily my opinion, but many seem to feel this way).

Click here for NFL’s Top 10 Divas – #9

Not sure I agree that Marshall’s a “diva”, per se. Semi-problem player? Maybe. But diva? Not sure about that, not yet anyway. Even the writer questions it by ending with a speculative statement… “The player’s probably a diva.” Probably? That’s the best you could come up with? Guess they needed to fill this spot with someone and chose BMarsh because he’s been in the news a lot recently. Typical MSM.

Guess who’s also on this list….

NFL’s Top 10 Divas – #5

This is a bit of a tangent and has already begun to be discussed here at MHR, but it’s funny how Cutler is now starting to be seen by the MSM as the “villain” who ran himself out of Denver as opposed to the “victim” who was run out by McDaniels and Bowlen (not that all of the MSM, or fans, are thinking this way just yet). Although I don’t know why I’m surprised by this since by mid-season the MSM will most likely be touting how wrong Jay was (and potentially Brandon too), how well McD and the Broncos handled the situation(s), and how we got the better of the deal(s). Not to mention they’ll most likely back track on (or at minimum “qualify”) pretty much any and every negative thing they said about McD, Bowlen and the Broncos. More typical MSM.

There does seem to be a slight resurgence in the anti-Bronco commentary of late because of the Marshall situation, but they need to fill the 24 hour news cycle with something. Just look at Dave Krieger from the DP or the majority of “experts” and analysts on ESPN for evidence about how to talk out of your arse because, well, you can’t think of anything better to do. But as the ebb and flow of media hype goes, the Broncos will one day be back in the good graces of the MSM (although who really gives a [insert favorite expletive here]) and all the “experts” will say how wonderful McD, Xanders and Bowlen are for their brilliant, shrewd, and creative building of a winning team. And then I’ll proceed to vomit all over my John Clayton bobble head doll. Oh wait, that’s actually the real John Clayton. You mean that’s what he actually looks like in real life? ;-)