In place of Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson is the new franchise quarterback in Denver. In a spectacular trade with the Seattle Seahawks, general manager George Paton took a risk and it shows: The Broncos finally want to be who they are again.

Denver/Munich – In Denver, they know exactly. How much he can be worth. Such a good quarterback.

Since Peyton Manning’s departure after the 2015 season, the Broncos have been on the lookout. Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco. Most recently Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater.

No. They all weren’t what was envisioned and hoped for at Mile High: a franchise quarterback.

Paton puts his money where his mouth is

“It’s the most important position in football. So we’re always looking,” GM George Paton said just a few days ago. “We signed Drew Lock, we signed Brett Rypien. But we’re always looking, and we’re going to leave no stone unturned to find this guy. We know we have to play better at the quarterback position. And that’s why we’re going to be aggressive.”

In a rather weak QB class in the upcoming draft, the front office around Paton likewise saw no improvement, so what to do?

The Broncos provided the answer on a memorable NFL day. When Aaron Rodgers announced he was staying in Green Bay, Denver looked like a loser at first. After all, they were desperate to reunite new head coach Nathaniel Hackett with his old protege.

But neither wide receiver Jerry Jeudy nor the supporters had to mope for long. With the trade for Russell Wilson, Paton & Co. have pulled off a real coup. The 33-year-old will lead a young, hungry team onto the field as the undisputed leader. The franchise quarterback. Here he is.

– Jerry Jeudy⁴ (@jerryjeudy) March 8, 2022

Oh we lit

- Jerry Jeudy⁴ (@jerryjeudy) March 8, 2022

Much draft capital and a defensive mainstay gone

In return, the Broncos not only send five draft picks (including two first-round, and two second-round picks) to Seattle, but also three players. First and foremost, defensive lineman Shelby Harris will undoubtedly leave a void.

The potential to fill it is there in the squad. And let's not forget: To be sure, Wilson will add about $24 million to the Broncos' cap space. Still, the franchise has another $24 million or so in cap space after that, primarily to compensate for the Harris departure.

It's also imperative that this happens in free agency. They don't own any good draft picks for the next two years.

Model Rams: Broncos are putting all their eggs in one basket

Offensively, Wilson faces a dynamic receiving corps with Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler. In the backfield, Javonte Williams is a flexible running back. Rounding out the offense is a solid, if not outstanding, O-line.

The recent Super Bowl run by the Los Angeles Rams proved that such an "all-in move" can pay off. Although the team from Hollywood was once again significantly deeper and better manned than the current Broncos, the Rams showed one thing above all: courage can be rewarded.

Quarterback Mecca AFC West

Since winning Super Bowl 50 (2015), Denver has been hungry for a return to the playoffs. Each of the last five years have been followed by seasons of five to seven wins. Boring.

But that's over now. The Broncos want to be somebody again and are setting up an AFC West division blockbuster trade that will make some headlines in the coming months.

Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr and now Russell Wilson. All in one division. NFL heart - what more could you want?