Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
The Denver Broncos are surely happy Jared Allen is no longer part of the AFC West. The Broncos can take pride that they helped ship the Pro Bowl defensive end out of the division.
What made the Chiefs pull the trigger on trading Allen to the Minnesota Vikings was the addition of a second third-round pick into the mix by the Vikings. Originally, Minnesota was offering a first and third-round pick for Allen. The Chiefs, noted for holding out in trade talks, balked. The Vikings had to sweeten the pot. Luckily, they had a second third-round pick.
That's where the Broncos come in. Last year, during the draft, Denver traded its third round pick in 2008 to the Vikings in a package for the No. 121 pick in which it took defensives tackle Marcus Thomas, The pick turned out to be the No. 73 pick. It was paired with the No. 17 and No. 82 picks was sent to the Chiefs for Allen.
There's no way the Vikings could have made this trade without the No. 73 pick. There's no way this trade would have been made without a little help from the Broncos.
