It seems that the Denver Broncos have been self-destructing ever since they fired their head coach Mike Shanahan. The past two years the Broncos didn’t reach over the .500 mark, yet they had the second best offense in the league last year, despite having one of the leagues worst defenses (ranked 29). In January, the Broncos replaced Shanahan with former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. McDaniels was known for his work with the record-breaking 2007 Patriots and recently most known for his development of Matt Cassel, a player who never started in college but took an NFL team to the playoffs with a record of 11-5 in 2008.

So far, the head coaching job for McDaniels has been rough to say the least. It started in April when rumors of trading Jay Cutler had fell through and Cutler felt that he could no longer trust the Broncos organization and their new head coach. So, Cutler made it clear that he wanted out of Denver and his demand was met as he was traded to the Chicago Bears for Kyle Orton and first-round picks in 2009 and 2010.

As if losing their starting quarterback wasn’t enough, McDaniels is now dealing with another star player who wants out. Earlier this month, Denver’s starting wide receiver Brandon Marshall indicated on his blog that his time in Denver is done. Marshall has came out and basically said that he wants to follow in the footsteps of his former quarterback, Jay Cutler, and find another team to play for. Reports have suggested that teams like Cleveland and Baltimore have already been considering possible trades to grab the Denver star. On June 12th, Marshall met with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and requested a trade.

This is the actual blog from Brandon Marshall’s website bmarshall15.com: (posted on June 16th)

“To whom it may concern. Life is filled with change, and where I am in my life now change is probably best. It’s hard leaving an organization ran by one of the best owners in all of sports, and someone who’s been there for me through my ups and downs. The hardest thing was hearing Mr. B wish me luck in the future, but we both came to the conclusion that this is probably the best thing for me to grow on and off the field. I thank the Denver fans who embraced my emotion and play on the field and showing me love every time I step outside my door.”

For the past two years, Marshall has been a huge fantasy impact. In 2007 Marshall recorded 102 receptions (3rd all-time in Broncos history) and 1,325 yards (3rd all-time in Broncos history). Last season he recorded 104 receptions (2nd all-time in Broncos history) and 1,265 yards (5th all-time in Broncos history) and he ranked 3rd in the NFL with receptions. One reason why Marshall wants out of Denver is because of his high productivity with no reward. Marshall is easily a top five receiver who isn’t paid as such. So, if he’s such a great player why hasn’t owner Pat Bowlen extended Marshall’s contract?

Marshall was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Being drafted that late in the draft usually does not land you a hefty contract. Marshall’s conduct off the field was one of the major concerns for many teams, hence why he was drafted so late. The Broncos took their chances with Marshall and although his numbers have been productive, he’s had a few run-ins with the NFL conduct policy. They still took their chances with their young star and bailed him out numerous times. As of right now, Marshall is going to earn around $2.2 million next year with the Broncos, while other wide receivers around the league of the same caliber will be making around $6-7 million.

Other than his financial issues with the team, Marshall has also stated on his blog that he has lost trust in the team’s medical staff as well for what he has called a misdiagnosis of his hip injury last year. His blog read:

“It’s kind of funny now but some of my coaches thought I was getting ‘big-headed’ and just didn’t want to practice but I needed some fine tuning. What made last year so weird was that I got two MRIs, one in camp and the second around week six and was told nothing was wrong but come to find out THERE WAS A BIT OF A PROBLEM after all. LOL. I guess that’s part of the business. So after all that, I’m now even more excited about playing this season at 100%. This year I can help my team more and hopefully we can get to the playoffs.”

So, will he be leaving Denver? Right now it’s the owner says this, the head coach says that, and the agent is stating this and that. When Marshall went to Bowlen and requested the trade, Bowlen replied with “Good Luck in the future”, while head coach McDaniels has said they are looking forward to seeing Marshall come training camp. In my opinion, I feel that Denver should not release a player of Marshall’s caliber, but keeping a player who doesn’t want to be there will only hurt your team in the long run. Yeah, he’ll have to play while he’s under his contract, but you won’t be getting his full effort. With the owner telling him “Good Luck” and not extending his contract, I think come preseason “The Beast” may be on another team.

The Ravens, Browns, and Bears have all said they are interested in Marshall, but what team in the league wouldn’t want him? Many teams will line up to grab Marshall if he leaves Denver, but only a few will desperately go out of their way to get him. If there is any team I think Marshall should go to it would be ‘Da Bears. Many teams are desperate for a #1 receiver, but it seems that the missing piece to the Bears puzzle is a player like Marshall. Plus, right now no one knows how to throw the ball to Marshall better than Cutler. It may never happen, but if it does it would be a great move for Marshall and the Bears. Marshall would be linked back up with his quarterback and be in the spotlight again, and the Bears will have a better chance of getting back into the Super Bowl. I just wonder how the Bears would be able to get Marshall seeing as how Denver won’t let him go as easily as they did with Cutler. Maybe Chicago should just give out some cash and the rest of the draft picks they didn’t already give Denver for Cutler. Either way, if Marshall gets into the Windy City I can tell you now that he will be among the top 10 receivers for fantasy football.

Whomever Marshall plays for, they must wonder if he’ll play for the whole season. Will the hip surgery change his game? Can he stay out of trouble? As of now the league won’t be suspending Marshall for any games for his arrest this spring in Atlanta for fighting with his new fiancée. But, Marshall still must go to trial this summer on two misdemeanor battery charges for an altercation with his former girlfriend. The outcome of that case could result in punishment from the NFL, even though Marshall has already been suspended for the season opener last year and was fined two paychecks after a series of police-related incidents with his former girlfriend.