Why The Denver Broncos Will Trade Brandon Marshall

I can hear the groans now.

"He's not getting traded!"

"Denver will only trade him for maximum value!"

All of such statements are false.  Brandon Marshall has played his last game as a Denver Bronco and it will be a fire sale to get rid of him.  I don't want to see him go, but if it comes down to it I really do not mind.  Josh McDaniels has to coach this team with who wants to play for him.  If Brandon Marshall isn't one of those guys than so be it.  Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Why are the Broncos so willing to trade their 100 catch Pro Bowl receiver?  A multitude of reasons.  First, lets go into the obvious reason of Marshall's legal past.  Since he became a Bronco Brandon Marshall has been involved with the law on the following occasions:

• Arrested under accusations of domestic violence (2007)
• Driving under the influence of alcohol (2007)
• Driving illegally without a license (2008)
• Rocky Mountain news publishes article that claims that police responded to 11 different calls to Marshall's house for "domestic disturbances" (2008)
• Misdemeanor battery charges in Georgia (2008)
• Arrested for disorderly conduct after a fight with his fiancee' (2008)

Do not forget that Marshall also had the "McDonald's bag" incident which injured his arm badly. On top of that he's already served a short suspension with the NFL over said charges thus far.  It goes without saying that he risks facing a year long suspension if or when he has another incident.

On the field things haven't gotten any better.  Rumors were that former coach Mike Shanahan informed Jay Cutler that he was going to release Marshall last year.  It would have probably been a good decision too.  Marshall went on to pull his antics namely the "my hip hurts" story on the new coach Josh McDaniels.  This ended up in trade rumors during last off season after Brandon's now infamous mini camp temper tantrum.

Things came to a head shortly before week 17 when the Broncos needed him most for what was a must win game versus the Chiefs.  Marshall tried to pull the "my hip hurts" routine again and subsequently was banned from the facilities.  It speaks volumes when a team tells a player with 100 catches "we are better off without you."  The line was drawn in the sand.  On one side stands the Denver Broncos and head coach Josh McDaniels. On the other side stands Brandon Marshall... and Tony Scheffler.

Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders will be looking to remove Brandon as quickly as possible from their team.  Some think they should hold out for the best value.  I don't doubt that Brandon's talent demands at least three high draft picks in return.  I just doubt that Xanders and McDaniels really care to wait around and shake that kind of value out of another team.  They likely won't even want to wait until the draft to trade Marshall, and will probably accept a discounted rate due to the laundry list of character issues Marshall has exhibited as a pro.  

No one knows if trading Marshall is going to work out as well as trading Jay Cutler.  However for the Broncos to move forward it's a move they have to make.