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Keeler: Broncos, Russell Wilson, congrats! You just topped Dick Monfort, Nolan Arenado for worst trade in Colorado sports history.

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Keeler: Broncos, Russell Wilson, congrats! You just topped Dick Monfort, Nolan Arenado for worst trade in Colorado sports history.


Russ is cooked.

Dick Monfort should send the Broncos a thank-you card. Heck, throw in another $51 million check while you’re at it.

Because Greg Penner and George Paton somehow just got the Rockies, the dumbest franchise in town, off the hook.

Russ is cooked.

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The worst trade in Colorado sports history is official now. And it wears orange and blue.

After 12 bathrooms and 11 wins, the Broncos announced Monday what everybody knew was coming since Sean Payton flipped his visor in Detroit.

They’re cutting quarterback Russell Wilson at the start of the 2024 league year next week, almost exactly two years after acquiring him from Seattle for (deep breath): a 2022 first-round pick; a 2022 second-round pick; a 2022 fifth-round pick; a 2023 first-round pick; a 2023 second-round pick; tight end Noah Fant; defensive lineman Shelby Harris; and quarterback Drew Lock.

Paton bet the farm.

Pete Carroll laughed all the way to the bank.

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Russ is cooked.

Monfort should be doing backflips. The Rockies CEO seemingly had the title of “worst trade” locked up in perpetuity in 2021 when he handed third baseman Nolan Arenado, the Mike Schmidt of his generation, along with $51 million, to the stinking Cardinals for Larry, Moe, Curly, Shemp and Joe Besser.

Nolan’s averaged 30 homers and 100 RBIs in the three seasons since. The Rox have averaged 95 losses.

Heck of a bar, that. Yet the Broncos cleared it, even somehow managing to hit their head on the descent.

Arenado cost the Rockies $51 million and a generation of shame. Wilson’s divorce is going to cost the Broncos $85 million in dead cap money and $39 million in salary for next season. Russ landed a five-year, $242-million extension from Penner and Paton, $161 million of it guaranteed, and was out the door before the freaking thing even kicked in.

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Russ is cooked.

Paton should’ve known that, of course. He should’ve known that Big Russ was allergic to throws between the hash marks. He should’ve known that No. 3 was a lost cause in the red zone if Plan A — which became Courtland Sutton in 2023 — happened to be covered. He should’ve known that a 5-foot-11 quarterback who relied on his athleticism had put on weight and lost a step. Or three.

He should’ve known that bringing Russ meant bringing a personal coaching team, a personal social media team, a personal security team, a personal cook, a personal masseuse, personal everything. He should’ve known that Wilson, at 33, stopped being worth the baggage about the time that the Cards fleeced Monfort.

Russ is cooked.

Oh, the Broncos had their reasons. Even noble ones. No one would say it out loud, but Mission: Franchise Quarterback was a “go” the minute Lock’s development stalled, and Russ was always Plan B. The backup big swing. There is a thread in the loom of multiverse in which the Broncos really do consummate that trade for Aaron Rodgers two winters ago in order to pair him with his best bud Nathaniel Hackett — which is the only way you can justify the hiring of the latter, in hindsight.

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In this universe, our reality, Hackett and Russ were a disaster, a coach in over his skis and a QB1 past his prime. Sean Payton and Russ were better, but the egos were hilariously incompatible. Last August, they were Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi. By December, they were Bart and Homer Simpson.

Russ is cooked.

Wilson was supposed to hand the ball to Herschel Walker on the option read and get the heck out of the way. Only he misread the end and got a franchise stuck even farther behind the chains. The Broncos are staring at third-down-and-$85-million, and not even Payton has a play for that.

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Denver, CO

Nuggets Get Encouraging Jamal Murray Injury Update

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Nuggets Get Encouraging Jamal Murray Injury Update


Things are looking up revolving around Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and his injury status moving forward after his recent ankle sprain.

And it looks like leading up to the Nuggets’ upcoming game vs. the OKC Thunder, Murray could even have a chance to play, just days after leaving Denver’s contest vs. the New York Knicks with an ankle sprain.

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Murray is considered day to day following his ankle injury suffered against the Knicks, and is expected to be listed as questionable against the Thunder.

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“Nuggets star G Jamal Murray is considered day to day after leaving Friday’s loss to the Knicks with an ankle injury, sources told ESPN. Expected to be listed as questionable for Monday’s game in OKC.”

It’s a massive breath of fresh air for the Nuggets after seeing their star guard go down with a scary-looking injury headed into the weekend, but it may actually be an injury that isn’t as bad as initially thought.

Jamal Murray Could Play vs. Thunder

There’s no guarantee whether Murray will be able to go against the Thunder and not miss any time with his ankle injury, but seeing his status trending in the right direction is a sign that he’ll be on the floor sooner rather than later.

Compared to the injury troubles the Nuggets have faced all year long, with multiple impact players missing multiple weeks of the regular season, it’ll certainly do.

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When Murray has been on the floor for the Nuggets this season, it’s paired with some career-best numbers en route to his first-ever All-Star selection earlier in the year.

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In 59 games played across the year, Murray has averaged a career-high 25.8 points per game, along with 4.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists on 48.3% shooting from the field and 43.1% from three.

Mar 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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This season, Murray’s also been one of the Nuggets’ most available players on the roster in a campaign where virtually all of their top names have missed multiple weeks with their own respective injuries.

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Murray has missed five games up to his latest injury from the Knicks game, and could even have a chance to keep that total where it’s at, depending on how his status develops before playing the Thunder.

The Nuggets’ health has started to turn a corner in a positive way in recent days and weeks, as both of their starting forwards, Cam Johnson and Aaron Gordon, returned to play against the Knicks, thus allowing Denver their entire starting five healthy and on the floor at the same time since November.

Peyton Watson remains one of the few names out with his respective hamstring injury leading into the final month stretch of the regular season, but expect to see him returning in the next few games. As for Murray, it looks like he also could be back on the floor in the very near future.

Expect to hear more regarding Murray’s injury before tip-off arrives against the Thunder, which could even lead to him taking the floor in one of the Nuggets’ biggest remaining games left in the regular season.

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Denver, CO

Farbers sell LoHi apartment development site for $9.5M

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Farbers sell LoHi apartment development site for .5M


The Farber brothers have sold a site in LoHi with approved development plans, and a groundbreaking is imminent.

Elevation Development Group, founded by Brent, Brad and Gregg Farber, sold 0.68 acre at 3301-3333 Mariposa St. in Denver on Wednesday to Greenwood Village-based Century Communities.

Century, a large homebuilder that also develops apartments, paid $9.5 million, records show. That works out to $322 a square foot.

The Farbers bought the property in 2019 for $5.65 million, records show. At the time, it was home to industrial buildings, which have since been demolished.

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The site is zoned C-MX-5, which generally allows a mix of uses up to 5 stories.



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Brothers sentenced to 40 and 40 years for deadly,

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Brothers sentenced to 40 and 40 years for deadly,


Two brothers who were involved in the 2024 drive-by shooting death of a man outside the Downtown Aquarium in Denver were sentenced to serve decades in prison.

Antonio Vasquez, 21, and Jason Trujillo, Jr., 19, were sentenced on Friday to 40 years and 20 years, respectively, in state prison. Both brothers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and a number of charges, including first-degree murder, were dropped as a result.

Vasquez, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, fired the weapon that killed 19-year-old Dacien Salazar over two years ago, according to investigators. Trujillo, who was 17 at the time, drove the car.

Dacien Salazar is seen in a handout photo from Denver police investigators after the 19-year-old was shot and killed outside the Denver Downtown Aquarium on Feb. 14, 2024.

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Denver Police Department


“Dacien Salazar’s murder was not just a tragedy for his friends and family, it was a crime that shocked countless Denver residents — a shooting in broad daylight in a busy public place,” Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement on Friday. “Today’s sentences ensure that Antonio Vasquez and Jason Trujillo will pay a heavy price for their cold-blooded actions.”

The shooting occurred on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2024, outside the popular aquarium near Interstate 25 and Water Street.

Given the location of the shooting, and before police knew if it was random or targeted, a large police presence was seen at the aquarium soon after the 911 calls came in.

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Salazar was taken to the hospital but later died of his injuries, according to Denver police. After the shooting, the brothers took off southwest, toward the REI store, and investigators worked to develop information about the suspects.

Shooting at Denver Aquarium

Denver police officers investigate the scene of a shooting outside of the Denver Aquarium in Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 14, 2024.

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images


Salazar was at the aquarium with two other people. The three left Pueblo earlier in the day and got to the aquarium around 2 p.m. that day, a witness told investigators. They left about an hour later, and as they were walking back to the car they came in, a black Chevrolet sedan pulled up and a person, later identified as Vasquez, was in the back seat with a black ski mask on and started shooting.

Salazar was the only person struck by gunfire that afternoon.

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One of Salazar’s friends told police that Salazar “had a lot of people that were after him.” That person’s name was redacted in a 10-page arrest report, as was the rest of the paragraph after that claim.

One person interviewed by police told a detective that they saw threats against him on Facebook, made by Trujillo and three other people, whose names were redacted. Screenshots of the threats were also fully redacted in the arrest report.

Forensic investigators say they matched the ammunition used in a shooting in Pueblo, allegedly involving at least one of the suspects, to the one used to kill Salazar. Many details surrounding the Pueblo shooting were redacted, but the report says that .223-caliber rifle ammo was recovered from both scenes.

Court records don’t show any criminal cases out of Pueblo for either brother, aside from a 2022 traffic ticket for Vasquez.

Shooting at Denver Aquarium

Denver police officers investigate the scene of a shooting outside of the Denver Aquarium in Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 14, 2024. 

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Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images


Investigators went through traffic camera footage near the shooting and found the car that matched wintesses’ description and saw it had a temporary license plate. Detectives traced the ownership of the car back to a Pueblo address and then honed in on a cellphone that pinged cell towers in Pueblo, Littleton, and Denver during the time before, during, and after the shooting.

They traced the movement of the car and phone to a hotel — although the exact hotel’s name is redacted from the arrest report — and got security camera footage, which detectives say showed Vasquez and Trujillo leaving and returning to the hotel before and after the shooting.

They were arrested in early May, formally charged on May 8 — both as adults — and held on a $1 million cash-only bond.

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