The Denver Broncos have made a flurry of moves to start free agency, agreeing to terms with a handful of players through the first two days of the open negotiating period.
One move the Broncos made was for a quarterback to backup youngster Drew Lock. According to Mike Klis of 9news, the Broncos intend to sign Lousiana State product Jeff Driskel to a two-year deal.
Driskel has spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions throughout his NFL career and has compiled a 1-7 record. He threw four touchdowns and four interceptions in three games with Detroit last season.
Klis notes that Broncos General Manager and VP of Football Operations John Elway desired a backup quarterback who is athletic and able to navigate the pocket, which is why veteran Joe Flacco is not a fit.
Flacco is still technically a Bronco, but the mounting expectation is Denver will either trade or release the 35 year old by the end of the week.
Denver acquired Flacco from the Baltimore Raven ahead of the 2019 season in hopes the veteran could salvage the remnants of the Broncos Super Bowl 50 squad. Instead, Flacco won just two games before a neck injury sidelined him for the season.
Lock emerged as the Broncos quarterback of the future when Flacco went down, and thus, Denver has changed their scheme to play towards Lock’s strengths.
Flacco is no longer the Super Bowl MVP he was back in 2013, but he still has some value around the league and should find a home if he wants to continue his career.
Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Phillip Rivers have all recently agreed to deals that pay at least $25 million per season, and all three players are older than Flacco.
Flacco has +2500 odds to be the New England Patriots Week 1 starting quarterback, per BetOnline.
