ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that the Denver Broncos have agreed to acquire cornerback A.J. Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be processed and the teams cannot comment on it until the NFL’s new league year begins March 18.
The fourth-round pick in the deal is the one the Broncos acquired from the San Francisco 49ers at the trade deadline last season for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who helped his new team reach the Super Bowl.
Bouye, who is due $13 million each of the next two seasons, has 14 interceptions in seven NFL seasons in Houston and Jacksonville. He made his only Pro Bowl in 2017.
His acquisition could complicate Chris Harris Jr.’s future. Harris, who served as a mentor to Bouye early in his career when they shared the same agent, is set to become an unrestricted free agent in two weeks.
Harris tweeted his congratulations to Bouye and Chiefs D-back Tyrann Mathieu then tweeted a message to Harris imagining them playing in the same backfield in Kansas City.
Trading Bouye creates another hole for Jacksonville to fill heading into free agency and the draft. The Jaguars traded star cornerback Jalen Ramsey last October and now will have a revamped defensive backfield that includes four players younger than 26 years old: cornerbacks Tre Herndon and Parry Nickerson and safeties Ronnie Harrison and Jarrod Wilson.
Jacksonville surely will draft a cornerback, which is considered one of the positions with the most talent and depth in the draft. The Jags will now have 10 picks, including two first-rounders and two fourth-rounders.
Bouye adds to a growing list of jettisoned players from Jacksonville’s dynamic 2017 defense, which helped the team make the AFC championship game. General manager Dave Caldwell traded Ramsey and defensive end Dante Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams in separate deals, cut safety Tashaun Gipson and defensive tackle Malik Jackson to create cap space, and just last week opted not to pick up a team option in defensive tackle Marcell Dareus’ contract for 2020.
Plus, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue posted on social media Monday that he no longer wants to sign a long-term deal to remain in Jacksonville and hopes to force a trade.
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