“Everything I’ve done has been nothing but 100% commitment to the Denver Broncos and to my teammates… To say I’ve given up on my teammates is just a disgusting feeling, and it hurts me… I have nothing but great things to say about Coach McDaniels, this organization… Mr. B is one of the best owners in all of sports. I take my hat off to Josh McDaniels because, if it wasn’t for him, the growth in me this year wouldn’t be there.”

– Brandon Marshall, via BroncoTalk (and 104.3 The Fan in Denver)

In terms of pure ability, where does Marshall rank amongst wideouts in the NFL? From a value standpoint, he’s only 25, so he’s just now entering his prime. That’s scary. Without all the off-the-field stuff, I’d probably only take Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald ahead of Marshall in a free-for-all draft. But with all the off-the-field drama, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White and Vincent Jackson look more appealing. They give you 98% of the production without all the headaches.

With Marshall and the Broncos once again looking to be on the outs, some lucky team has an opportunity to acquire the talented wideout this summer.

Despite a report earlier this week that stated they would stand firm and not deal the disgruntled receiver, Adam Schefter writes on his Twitter page that the Broncos are willing to field calls for Brandon Marshall.

Though Denver does not want to trade Brandon Marshall, it will take calls. Won’t make them, but will take them. A 1 gets BM is my guess.

Schefter is usually solid in his reporting, so there’s no reason not to buy into what he’s saying. But that said, is this really news worthy? Even if the Broncos do plan on taking a stand and not dealing Marshall, they still would benefit from picking up the phone and listening to any offers. It’s not like if the Ravens called and offered two first round picks (not that they would) that the Broncos wouldn’t entertain the thought.

What will probably happen is that Denver will wait to see if Marshall reports to training camp in a few weeks. If he does, great – they can go about resolving the issue in-house. But if he doesn’t show, and there’s good reason to believe that he won’t, then the Broncos have to entertain the idea of trying to get something for him since he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2009 season. (Especially considering that it is getting more obvious that he wants out of Denver at any cost.)

Or so says NFL Insider Adam Schefter (via Rotoworld):

NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on 850 KOA in Denver that Brandon Marshall asked Broncos owner Pat Bowlen for a trade during their meeting Friday.

Per Schefter, Bowlen asked Marshall to take some time to reconsider his stance. Marshall is not expected to back down, however, which means the Broncos are right back where they were with Jay Cutler. Though it’s possible that a new contract could assuage Marshall, it’s more likely that the receiver will continue to push for a trade. Perhaps the Bears will be interested.

This is what I wrote over the weekend when Marshall left the Broncos’ facilities with packed boxes after his meeting with Bowlen (I feel it’s appropriate given this latest news):

Marshall is extremely underpaid considering his on-field production. But he’ll have to excuse the Broncos for not wanting to dole out a big second contract to someone who can’t keep his act together off the field. It’s hardly a savvy business decision to guarantee a truckload of money to a player that might just wind up being suspended again in the future. Marshall has already had at least seven reported incidents since being drafted, so he’s hardly a reliable investment for Denver.

That said, if the Broncos don’t want to lose another gigantic piece of their offense, they’re going to have to pony up. Denver doesn’t want another mess on its hands like it had with Jay Cutler, so Bowlen and company need to make a decision regarding whether or not they want to take a risk by paying Marshall to keep him happy.

The Broncos will ultimately have to decide whether or not they want to completely bulldoze what they’ve built and start over with Josh McDaniels. If they trade Marshall, they can acquire draft picks and group them with what they got in the Cutler trade. They might lose in the short term, but win in the long run assuming they can put together some decent drafts (including the one they just had in April). Either way, Bowlen and McDaniels have their work cut out for them.

According to a report by the Denver Post, Broncos’ wide receiver Brandon Marshall had a private meeting Friday afternoon with team owner Pat Bowlen and then left the facility with packed boxes.

According to the report, Marshall doesn’t want his injured hip to be treated by Denver’s medical staff, but that’s only part of the reason he has sand in his shorts right now.

The main reason is that he wants more money.

Since he was a fourth round pick, Marshall made just $1.5 million in combined salary and signing bonuses over his first three years. In his fourth year, a Pro Bowl incentive in his contract pushed his total salary up to $2.198 million, but obviously Marshall wants more heading into the final year of his rookie deal.

Marshall is extremely underpaid considering his on-field production. But he’ll have to excuse the Broncos for not wanting to dole out a big second contract to someone who can’t keep his act together off the field. It’s hardly a savvy business decision to guarantee a truckload of money to a player that might just wind up being suspended again in the future. Marshall has already had at least seven reported incidents since being drafted, so he’s hardly a reliable investment for Denver.

That said, if the Broncos don’t want to lose another gigantic piece of their offense, they’re going to have to pony up. Denver doesn’t want another mess on its hands like it had with Jay Cutler, so Bowlen and company need to make a decision regarding whether or not they want to take a risk by paying Marshall to keep him happy.

I don’t envy their situation.

Broncos’ receiver Brandon Marshall failed to show up to Denver’s mandatory minicamp on Friday. He continues to recover from offseason hip surgery, but the Broncos still expected Marshall to be in attendance for camp.

Marshall is a little upset that he’s about to enter the final year of his rookie contract and therefore is trying to put the squeeze on the Broncos in efforts to get a new deal. But so far Denver isn’t biting and chances are, they’re none too happy about Marshall’s absence from camp.

What I happen to love about one, Brandon “The Beast” Marshall is that he’s had at least (at least) seven reported off-field incidents since becoming a Bronco. He’s also been nicked up numerous times throughout his career, including in March of last year when he slipped on a empty McDonald’s bag while wrestling with family members and freaking fell through a TV set at his home in Orlando, suffering lacerations to one artery, one vein, one nerve, two tendons and three muscles.

Yet through all this, he still has the pumpkins to ask the Broncos, “Where’s my money?” And not only that, but he’s trying to play hardball with them in order to get a new contract, which includes holding out.

The audacity that same athletes have is appalling. Instead of getting acquainted with a new coaching staff and a new quarterback, Marshall would rather sit at home and pout about his contract. Now, his on field talent is unquestioned and if he ever keeps his head on straight he could turn out to be one of the best receivers in the NFL. But as my TSR cohort John Paulsen once similarly said about Michael Vick, Marshall has million-dollar talent and a 10-cent head.

Update: Broncos’ head coach Josh McDaniels says Marshall should be in camp by late Friday.

According to a report by the Denver Post, Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall will avoid suspension stemming from an early March disorderly conduct arrest in which the charges were eventually dropped.

“The NFL has confirmed that based on their own investigation there will not be a suspension or any discipline issues as a result of Mr. Marshall’s arrest on March 1,” said Marshall’s attorney Harvey Steinberg. “I had been in touch with the NFL since right after the incident occurred and we were under the belief that what took place would not rise to the level of any form of discipline.”

Marshall is still facing a court case later this month in Atlanta stemming from misdemeanor battery charges against his former girlfriend, Rasheedah Watley. That case, however, is expected to be continued to a later date, which means onceMarshall recovers from offseason hip surgery, he can concentrate on the 2009 season.

Let’s hope Marshall doesn’t celebrate the news by boozing tonight and punching an innocent bystander in the face.