We mentioned earlier today the possibility that the Pats didn’t try to trade quarterback Kevin O’Connell before cutting him because New England coach Bill Belichick wanted to slide the 2008 third-rounder through to the Chiefs, whose G.M. is former Patriots V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli.
The fact that, you know, Pioli didn’t submit a waiver claim for O’Connell sort of blew that theory to hell.
But the Broncos, coached by former Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, did make a claim for O’Connell. And even if Belichick wasn’t trying to help McDaniels out, there’s a belief that the trade of O’Connell from the Lions to the Jets might be a precursor to renewed trade talks between the Jets and the Broncos for receiver Brandon Marshall.
The notion has been floated by Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Though Klis points out that a source says the Broncos have no intention of trading Marshall, who rejoined the team today after a nine-day suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, the Jets seem to have even less of a need for O’Connell than the Lions did.
UPDATE: As a reader pointed out, the fact that the Jets made a waiver claim for O’Connell undermines this theory, since Denver has waiver priority over the Jets.