Broncos trade for A.J. Bouye in salary dump for Jaguars
By Staff
The Denver Broncos are sending a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars in return for cornerback A.J. Bouye.
John Elway must be smiling.
The Denver Broncos’ general manager watched his team win four of their final five games last year. Now they’ve continued the momentum by landing former Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a meager fourth-round pick in April’s NFL Draft.
The Broncos and Jaguars have agreed on a trade that would send cornerback A.J. Bouye to Denver for a 2020 fourth-round pick, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2020
The trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins March 18th.
As noted by NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN, the deal isn’t official until the new league year on March 18.
Bouye spent the first four years of his career with the Houston Texans before signing a five-year, $62 million deal in 2017 with the Jaguars. It proved to be his best season, going to his only Pro Bowl while getting to the AFC Championship Game. He also notched a career-high six interceptions.
Now Bouye heads to the Broncos, who are hoping to make a playoff push behind second-year quarterback Drew Lock. Denver could lose longtime corner Chris Harris Jr. in free agency later this month, so nabbing Bouye was a smart move. His contract is large but palatable, with cap hits of $13.5 million each of the next two years. However, Denver can move on from the 28-year-old at any time without dead cap money.
As for Jacksonville, the trade is understandable if not fantastic from a return standpoint. The Jaguars are rebuilding after dealing Jalen Ramsey for two first-round picks to the Los Angeles Rams at the trade deadline. They also need cap relief and get it by dealing Bouye, while adding a mid-round pick to their draft cache.