Ryan Clady to Jets: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The Denver Broncos reached the Super Bowl without left tackle Ryan Clady during the 2015 season, and they will try to do the same in 2016 following Saturday's news. 

The Broncos traded Clady, along with a seventh-round selection, to the New York Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News confirmed the trade, citing a league source. The Jets confirmed the deal Sunday.

"Ryan was a great Bronco who made a tremendous impact on our team during his eight seasons in Denver," Broncos general manager John Elway said in a statement, via Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday. "In addition to becoming a Pro Bowl player, he was such a positive presence in our locker room and community. Our organization thanks Ryan for his many contributions and wishes him all the best in the next chapter of his NFL career."

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Clady and the Jets agreed to a new deal for one year with a $6 million base salary and $3 million guaranteed. The deal also includes one option year for $10 million that could escalate to $13 million.

This doesn’t come as much surprise considering ESPN.com reported Denver signed offensive tackle Russell Okung to a five-year deal and planned on trading Clady as a subsequent move. The ESPN.com piece cited sources from Schefter. 

It also makes sense for the Jets, as they announced Saturday that former three-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson would retire. New York was busy shoring up the offensive line Saturday, re-signing Ben Ijalana, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Clady’s "five-year, $52.5 million contract signed in 2013 is the largest ever for a Broncos offensive lineman." He was due $9.5 million in 2016 and $10 million in 2017, which is significant money for an offensive lineman who missed the entire 2015 campaign.

Clady tore his ACL in May and missed the season. He also missed the Super Bowl following the 2013 season because of a foot injury.

When healthy, he is a premier offensive lineman. Quarterback Peyton Manning even said “he is the top left tackle out there” before the 2014 season, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Clady will likely look to prove that again in 2016 with his new team after missing an entire year.

The Broncos drafted Clady with the 12th overall pick in 2008, and he has been a staple up front ever since. Age may be a concern since he will be 30 years old during the 2016 season, but he is a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro member with 98 career starts under his belt.

He also proved he can be durable when he played all 16 games six different times (every year of his career except 2013 and 2015). He could have some additional motivation to try to prove himself again after he was traded. 

The 6’6”, 315-pound mauler has impressive reach that allows him to gain leverage on defensive ends and is athletic enough to move laterally and prevent blindside hits. His quickness off the snap helps him create early holes for the running game, as does his overall physical strength.

Even at 29, Clady should theoretically be fairly fresh heading into 2016 because he didn’t play in 2015. If he is the same dominant player he was before the ACL injury, he may get the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl after all as he sets the tone for a new offense. 

While losing Ferguson was a tough blow for the Jets, adding Clady and providing depth with Ijalana should keep them from taking a step back on the offensive line next season.