Sean Payton says Broncos ‘aren’t openly or remotely shopping anyone’ after Week 8 win

The Sean Payton era is beginning to take some steps in the right direction. The Broncos just snapped a 16-game losing streak against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday with a 24-9 victory, and Denver is on its first winning streak (two games) under Payton. Given these circumstances, the 3-5 Broncos are not open for business ahead of the trade deadline on Oct. 31. “We’re not openly or even remotely shopping anyone,” Payton said Monday, via DenverSports.com. “Have people called? Sure they have. Typically, the buyer wants the media to know they have called. Not the seller. So we’re preparing, we have a Buffalo cutup I’m going to look at [the Broncos play the Bills after their bye in Week 10]… I’m sure at some point I’ll meet with [general manager] George [Paton], but we’re looking at the next opponent. Obviously, it’s a bye week and then a Monday night game, so the schedule changes a little. I don’t know that it’s [our trade deadline outlook] is any different because we have a bye. It’s a matter of what those other teams deem important, and it’s hard to predict that.” Actions speak louder than words, and the Broncos did ship out defensive lineman Randy Gregory, whom the team signed to a five-year, $70 million contract in 2022, to the San Francisco 49ers along with a 2024 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round selection. They also released outside linebacker Frank Clark (signed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract this past offseason). That calls into question the status of some other players the Broncos have invested in over the past few years like wide receivers Jerry Jeudy (the 15th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft) and Courtland Sutton (signed to a four-year, $60.8 million contract extension in 2021). The Broncos enter their bye week in Week 9, providing the team some time to assess where things stand with their roster ahead of Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET.