Sources: Broncos trading Keenum to Redskins
The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade quarterback Case Keenum to the Washington Redskins, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
In exchange, the Broncos will get a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft from the Redskins. Washington will also get a 2020 seventh-rounder from Denver.
The NFL Network first reported that the teams were working on the trade.
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The Broncos signed Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal last March to be their starting quarterback. Denver then went 6-10 in 2018, which led to the dismissal of head coach Vance Joseph and the hiring of Vic Fangio to replace him.
The 31-year-old Keenum is currently slated to count $21 million against the Broncos’ salary cap for the 2019 season.
Since the end of the season, the Broncos have the framework of a trade in place to acquire veteran Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens, which “definitely shocked” and “disappointed” Keenum when he heard the news.
Neither the Broncos nor the Ravens, or even Flacco, can formally acknowledge the trade until the start of the new league year on March 13, when the deal can be filed to the NFL.
The Redskins, meanwhile, are facing an uncertain future with quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a compound fracture in his right leg last season that required multiple surgeries because of infections.
The Redskins still don’t know, or aren’t ready to say, whether Smith will play in 2019. Colt McCoy remains on the roster, and there are a number of options that the team could pursue via free agency, including Teddy Bridgewater and Tyrod Taylor.
“That’s hard; this is new to everybody,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said at the NFL scouting combine. “This is an injury that’s tough to overcome, but you also don’t know Alex and what he can do with his mind and what he can overcome. Will he be ready next year or the year after? I don’t know. We’ll play it by ear.”
said he was” by the Flacco news.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Keenum said Feb. 21 about his future. “There’s still a lot up in the air; this is very fresh. So a lot of these emotions that we’re talking about are still kind of going on, still happening. So who knows what’s going to be in store. I don’t for sure; God does. But we’ll be ready for whatever God has in store for us next.”
Behind a battered offensive line — three starters were placed on injured reserve — Keenum was inconsistent, as was the Broncos’ offense as a whole. He finished with 3,890 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. He threw 15 interceptions, tied for the second most in the league.
Keenum finished among the bottom 10 in the NFL in Total QBR.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.