ARIZONA — It never hurts to call.

The Arizona Cardinals reportedly received a trade inquiry on star tight end Trey McBride this week from the Denver Broncos, who just were in Glendale weeks ago with head coach Sean Payton not shy on sharing praise for McBride in press conferences or clips from midfield-meetups post-game.

"The Denver Broncos have checked in around the league on tight ends, going so far as to ambitiously -- and some would say outrageously -- check on Cardinals star Trey McBride, who is from Fort Morgan, Colorado, and played at Colorado State. The Cardinals made it very clear they have zero intention of trading McBride," ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter posted this week on X.

The reasons on why the Cardinals shouldn't trade McBride is a mile long. And for what it's worth, it sounds like Arizona didn't engage in discussions with Denver — more so handling their inquiry like an annoying spam call that was short but probably not sweet.

Yet the Broncos' inquiry does raise one big question: What's McBride's price?

"Everybody Has a Price"

Much of what the public hears is noise, but they always say general managers wouldn't be doing their jobs if they're not listening to offers.

You never know how desperate a team is, or what you could potentially be offered for one player. Football, being a team game, rarely has opportunities where one singular player is truly untouchable.

That term — untouchable — gets thrown around a lot with little substance. There's maybe only a handful of players who truly fit that billing.

With the league's Nov. 10 trade deadline rapidly approaching, what's to make of all of these trade rumors?

"I think a lot is made of trade deadline, and obviously, deadline sparks activity, right?" Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort told reporters this week. "But a lot of times, I'm just just being honest with you guys, a lot of times it's a lot more chatter than there is actual concrete [of] what's going on out there."

The Cardinals, sitting at 3-5 entering Week 9, find themselves in an interesting position under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur. After trading away starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett and former No. 4 pick Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona's clearly willing to do business.

For what it's worth, the Cardinals did well in those respective trades. Currently Arizona has six picks in the first four rounds with eight draft picks total for 2027. The Cardinals hit the reset button at head coach last offseason and just might do the same next offseason at general manager, results pending.

Do the Cardinals feel like they're in a spot where they can decline any trade involving McBride?

McBride's emerged into a franchise icon and is paving a path that, if he upholds his current trajectory, will end up as a Ring of Honor member with gold jacket conversations as well. He's already paid handsomely and still has prime years of football ahead.

It feels like if there's anybody the Cardinals shouldn't trade, it's McBride — who has been the steadiest top performer in the desert (along with being a clear fan favorite) in a stretch of time where Arizona's been everything but steady.

Yet it's not as if the Cardinals are making a Super Bowl push, where dealing McBride would very much derail hopes of a confetti-filled parade in the near future. Arizona's in the early stages of their rebuild, and it's clear the organization is eyeing draft picks for the future.

If a team desperately offered multiple first-round picks (with second-rounders involved, too) for McBride, an elite player at a non-premium position, it's hard to imagine the Cardinals' front office wouldn't at least think long and hard about an offer.

On the other side of the coin, players like McBride don't just grow on trees. You don't give up a talent like McBride and hope to use those new draft picks to draft somebody like him.

Ultimately the Cardinals have every reason to keep McBride, but the Broncos' clear interest is a reminder that even the most untouchable players have a number — it just takes a team desperate enough to make it happen.