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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.

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.



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Denver, CO

Denver police use Aurora’s license-plate reading system to ID, arrest a teenage murder suspect

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Denver police use Aurora’s license-plate reading system to ID, arrest a teenage murder suspect


Denver police used license-plate reader technology from neighboring Aurora to identify and arrest a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

Police arrested Daniel Villegas on Saturday on suspicion of shooting and killing another 19-year-old male in the 10100 block of East Virginia Avenue two days earlier.



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New video captures deadly shooting at Denver park on Easter Sunday

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New video captures deadly shooting at Denver park on Easter Sunday


DENVER (KDVR) — A new video captured several shots being fired in a deadly shooting in broad daylight at a Denver park on Easter Sunday.

On Sunday, around 6 p.m., the Denver Police Department said it responded to a shots-fired call in the area of the 3600 block of North Vine Street. This is at Russell Square Park in the Cole Neighborhood.

Police said two people were sent to the hospital, and they were still looking for a suspect. On Monday morning, police said a woman was pronounced dead, and they were still working on developing suspect information.

FOX31’s Jim Hooley spoke with neighbors in the area on Monday morning, who captured a video of the shots being fired. On a smart home camera in the area, it showed a video of the park, with the sound of over 20 gunshots.

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Neighbors told Hooley there were more than 50 people, as many as 100, at the park celebrating Easter. Neighbors believe it was a drive-by shooting, and they all ran for cover once the shots were fired.

At this time, it’s unclear what led up to the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.



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Long Before Messi Came to MLS, These Players Brought Soccer to Denver

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Long Before Messi Came to MLS, These Players Brought Soccer to Denver


In 1996, a group of strangers arrived in Denver with their cleats and a common goal: to build professional soccer in America from the pitch up. Two years earlier, the United States had hosted the FIFA World Cup, igniting a national fervor for the sport. That energy helped birth Major League Soccer, with the Colorado Rapids as one of its 10 founding clubs. Players from around the globe converged on what was then Mile High Stadium (where the Rapids played until the 2007 debut of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City).

Thirty years later, the team has drawn stars, hoisted the 2010 MLS Cup, and earned a devoted local following. Ahead of the Rapids’ return to Empower Field at Mile High on April 18 for a special anniversary match against Inter Miami CF, we spoke with players from that first season about the mayhem and mirth that helped bring the world’s most popular sport to America.

Colorado Rapids History: The First MLS Season in Denver

“We literally went to a liquor store [on Federal Boulevard] in rush-hour traffic. We were outside with a table with banners, and we were waving Rapids flags. People would roll down their windows and ask ‘Who are the Rapids?’ as they’re stuck in traffic.” —Marcelo Balboa, center back, 1996–2002

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“For the July 4 game, we had a massive crowd. We played the [New York/New Jersey] MetroStars, and it was like, Wow, to be able to play in front of over 20,000 people. The lower bowl was packed and loud.” —Denis Hamlett, defender, 1996

“We trained in the Westminster rec center. I remember the first month we were there, we would walk down the hill from the rec center. It was pretty much an open park…. There’d be people coming from the street to work out, and they [would] look at us like, ‘Are you guys a college team?’ ” —Chris Henderson, midfielder, 1996–1999 and 2002–2005

“After the first few games, we started realizing that people were staying after [for autographs]. Almost every game, I would walk off the field without a shirt and without my socks. Kids wanted socks.” —Balboa

“Being a guy who played on the national team and played in the two World Cups leading up to the league—we were always hoping and praying that we were finally going to be able to get a league in the United States…. So when we all got to the stadium and saw [so many] people there, we were like, ‘OK, we got something here.’ ” —Balboa

“We had a mascot called RapidMan [who would go] on all these appearances with us. His costume was like water inside a river. I remember him high-fiving the fans and taking photos with the players.” —Henderson

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Tickets for the Colorado Rapids match at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, at Empower Field at Mile High start at $100.



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