Brock Osweiler wanted a fresh start. A new beginning with a new team, a good team that wouldn’t have an enormous shadow following him around. And a team that didn’t bench him in the playoffs.
And so two days after Peyton Manning retired, his expected heir apparent, Osweiler, spurned the Denver Broncos to reach an agreement with his new team, the Houston Texans.
It didn’t hurt that the Texans offered more money than the Broncos. Houston reportedly gave Osweiler a four-year deal worth $72 million a year, or $18 million a year.
The Broncos initially offered three years and $45 million to Osweiler. They did up their offer to four years, $64 million ($16 million a year).
However, Broncos general manager John Elway did put up a bargaining wall. He would not pay $18 million a year to a quarterback – which is what Philadelphia gave its quarterback Sam Bradford last week – who has but seven NFL starts.
“I’m a little surprised,’’ said Trevor Siemian, the only quarterback currently on the Broncos’ roster. “I thought I would get to share the quarterback room with Brock another couple years. At the same time, I’m happy for him. It’s a great opportunity for him so I’m excited for him.’’
The Broncos chances of repeating as Super Bowl champions have already suffered a major blow. As the free-agent market opened, the Broncos officially lost defensive end standout Malik Jackson to Jacksonville, Osweiler to Houston, and inside linebacker Danny Trevathan to John Fox’s Chicago Bears.
The defending Super Bowl champs are now in the market for a new starting quarterback. The top free agent available is Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is 33 and has played with six teams. In eight-plus years as a starter, Fitzpatrick is 43-61-1 with zero career playoff appearances.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick reportedly wants to be traded but the Broncos likely would have to surrender top draft picks to get him and his large contract.
Osweiler was the Broncos’ second-round pick in the 2012 draft – which occurred a month after the team signed Manning as a free agent. Manning was the Broncos’ starter, with Osweiler as his backup, the next 3 ½ seasons.
When Manning suffered a foot injury, Osweiler got his chance and played well, posting a 5-2 record with clutch wins against New England and Cincinnati.
However, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak pulled Osweiler in the regular-season finale against San Diego and inserted Manning. Manning rallied the Broncos to victory against the Chargers, then was the starter in all three postseason games, culminating in a 24-10 victory against Carolina in Super Bowl 50.
While that move back to Manning cannot be guessed – winning the Super Bowl trumps all – Osweiler’s benching couldn’t have helped the Broncos retain their so-called quarterback of the future.
