Broncos tried to trade for Matthew Stafford during 2021 offseason

Von Miller is one win away from returning to the Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback.

Had the Denver Broncos pulled off an attempted trade during the 2021 offseason, Miller might still be in Denver — with Stafford as his quarterback.

The Broncos made “multiple proposals” to the Detroit Lions in February for Stafford, but they weren’t able to strike a deal. The Lions ended up accepting two first-round draft picks (2022 and 2023) and a third-round pick (2021) from the Rams in exchange for the 33-year-old quarterback.

It seems that such a price was too steep for Denver, but Los Angeles will view it as picks well spent if the Rams reach (and especially if they win) the Super Bowl.

After failing to land Stafford, the Broncos later traded a sixth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a much-cheaper Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater’s numbers were OK in 2021, but he didn’t do enough to make Denver a true contender.

There’s a commonly-repeated sentiment that the Broncos are a franchise quarterback away from being contenders again. That’s debatable, but if it’s true, Stafford could have helped Denver reach the playoffs in 2021, and perhaps even compete for a title as he is in Los Angeles.

Instead, the Broncos are going into the offseason with 11 draft picks, including five in the first three rounds. Perhaps one or more of those picks could be used to land a QB, either via the draft or through a trade.

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