NFL Rumors: Denver Broncos Trading Ryan Clady To New York Jets

NFL rumors are swirling around Ryan Clady. The Denver Broncos were looking to move the veteran left tackle after they were able to secure the services of former Seattle Seahawks star Russell Okung. The belief around the National Football League was that Broncos general manager John Elway was going to trade away Clady to another team. According to NBC Sports, that team is the New York Jets. Ryan will now be tasked with replacing longtime left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

D’Brickashaw Ferguson surprised many in the NFL this week when he announced that he was going to be retiring from the New York Jets. The 32-year-old would much rather walk away from professional football than take a pay cut. Ferguson also felt that it was his time to go because he started noticing a decline in his play. That’s a big reason why the Jets were asking the 10-year veteran to accept less money so that they could have salary cap space to sign starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The New York Jets moved immediately to fill the void at left tackle. They didn’t want to feel forced to use a high pick in the upcoming NFL Draft on the position. Teams generally prefer to draft the best available players as opposed to finding guys that fill an immediate need on the roster. That’s a big reason why executives in the National Football League love free agency so much.

Instead of drafting a left tackle early on, the New York Jets can focus on a couple of other positions. David Harris is still an excellent inside linebacker, but he is turning 32-years-old. It would not be a bad move for the Jets to find his successor now. A talented quarterback such as Paxton Lynch from the Memphis Tigers could still be around when the Jets are up at the podium during the NFL Draft.

Of course, the New York Jets could still end up drafting an offensive tackle. After all, Ryan Clady is already 29-years-old. He’s also coming off of a lost season because of a torn ACL. In the NFL, you never know how a player is going to return after suffering such a devastating injury. Michigan State Spartans offensive tackle Jack Conklin might be a very appealing choice for the Jets.

The cost of adding Ryan Clady wasn’t too much for the New York Jets. They’re essentially swapping their fifth round draft pick in exchange for the seventh round draft pick owned by the Denver Broncos. While the options will be a bit slimmer, the Jets can still find a player that might be able to contribute on special teams. New York would be hard-pressed to find an offensive tackle in the fifth round that can immediately play as well as Clady.

From a financial standpoint, Ryan Clady might have given up some money to get the deal done. The four-time Pro Bowl tackle was owed $9.5 million, which was too high of a price for the Denver Broncos. Reports are stating that he agreed to restructure his deal because he was intrigued by the possibility of playing with the New York Jets.

Acquiring assets for Ryan Clady was quite an impressive move by John Elway. Many in the NFL were under the belief that he was not going to be able to pull off a trade. The feeling was that Clady would have simply been released. Things worked out rather well for the Denver Broncos. It also is a good move by the New York Jets because they immediately find a replacement for D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

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