With all that’s gone on in Broncos country over the last few days, I think it’s time we take a break from the present and look towards the future. Mainly, who’s going to be starting under center Week 1 next season?
Now, this does not mean that I’m already looking past the Broncos’ 2015 campaign; Denver is 7-2, they’ll be in the playoffs and I still have every hope that they can muster together one last Super Bowl run. What this is is simply an exercise of curiosity. And if you try to tell me that the question of who will be manning (no pun intended) the Broncos offense next season hasn’t crossed your mind, I’m going to go ahead and call you a liar.
And honestly, the more you look at it, the more interesting it gets.
So here are five quarterbacks that could realistically start for the Broncos next season:
Bonus: Peyton Manning
I’m not throwing dirt on the old guy just yet.
Technically, Manning is still under contract for next season, which means that unless he retires on his own accord, the Broncos will have to cut him; that won’t be easy.
And let’s just say all of Manning’s issues are injury related, and that he does come back in a few weeks and looks like the old Manning as the Broncos head into the playoffs. Can you tell me that the Broncos and their fans won’t feel some obligation to roll out The Sheriff one more time?
I, for one, am not counting it out.
5. Johnny Manziel / Robert Griffin III / Colin Kaepernick
Do I have your attention now? I mean, if the Broncos really wanted to go in an entirely new direction, these three guys would accomplish just that.
And, sure, based off the last few seasons, this isn’t exactly the most impressive bunch of passers, but if you squint your eyes hard enough, you might just see a starting quarterback in need of a change in scenery.
Just think, it was only three years ago that Colin Kaepernick was a first-and-goal away from winning the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl! And it was just two years ago that he was a Richard Sherman-tipped pass away from reaching the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year. Are we sure that San Francisco isn’t just the absolute worst environment for a young quarterback?
And Robert Griffin III isn’t that much different. If you had asked every football fan in the world what kind of quarterback RGIII was going to develop into after his rookie season, you would have thought he’d already been gifted a gold jacket. Three years later, he’s the Redskins’ third stringer.
If nothing changes, it’ll go down as one of the most inexplicable career arcs in NFL history. But if there’s anybody who could revitalize RGIII, it’s Gary Kubiak, who helped teach Kyle Shanahan (RGIII’s coordinator during his rookie season) everything he knows.
Honestly, though, Johnny Manziel might be the most interesting of them all. The Browns have clearly given up on him; if they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have been doing everything in their power to start Josh McCown during a lost season. He hasn’t shown much, but he has shown flashes. Maybe that’s enough for the Broncos to take a chance.
If any of these guys were to come to Denver, it’d be through a trade, but their value is so low right now that John Elway should be able to bring them in on the cheap.
It could be fun …
4. Sam Bradford
Remember when everybody had the Eagles as a surprise Super Bowl pick after their near-perfect preseason? Well, Sam Bradford remembers, and I’ve got a feeling he wishes somebody had squashed all that hype a lot sooner.
After weeks of negotiating a long-term extension, discussions were cut off after Bradford decided to bet on himself in 2015, hoping for an even larger payoff this offseason.
Based on the Eagles’ 4-5 record and Bradford’s 37.42 QBR, I’m going to go ahead and say that was a mistake.
That said, he was playing better over the last few weeks before spraining his AC joint against Miami last weekend, and scouts and GMs still seem to be enamored by his “physical tools,” even if anybody who’s watched him for more than a few series sees an average quarterback at best.
If the Broncos were in desperate need of a warm body under center, I wouldn’t be surprised if John Elway gave the former Heisman winner another shot.
3. Jay Cutler
Before you slap me through your computer screen, hear me out: Jay Cutler is probably the best quarterback that’ll be available this offseason — given the Bears do decide to move on — and if John Elway wants to put the ball in the hands of an experienced veteran with upside, this may be his best shot.
And I’ll admit, there are probably too many burnt bridges to ever allow for a Cutler reunion — on both sides — but it does make some sense. Even with all the memes and jokes, Cutler has actually had a very good season — probably his best in years.
The Bears, a team everybody was calling the worst in the league just a few months ago, currently sits at 4-5, and one of those losses came with Cutler on the bench. And aside from an overtime defeat against the Lions in Week 6, you could make the case that the Bears haven’t had a bad loss all season.
Does that make them a good team? No. But they’re a competitive team, and that’s a lot more than most of us expected. A good deal of that credit has to go to Cutler, who has thrown for 1,700 yards, 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions in the six games since he returned from injury.
Cutler has five years left on his contract, but for all intents and purposes, the Broncos could get out of his contract after 2016 if things fell apart, only paying $2 million in dead cap. And if the $17 million that he’s due to be paid next season is too expensive for Denver’s liking, I wouldn’t be surprised if they restructured the contract to spread the guarantees out through 2017, giving Denver immediate relief.
It’s a long shot, but don’t count it out entirely.
This piece brought to you in part by …
[adrotate banner=”6″]2. Ryan Fitzpatrick
The stopgap of all stopgap quarterbacks. The Amish Rifle.
If the Broncos really do end up bringing in a veteran quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the clear option. He’s been a serviceable-to-good passer at every one of his many stops, and he’ll come on the cheap, too.
Plus, he’d be a perfect fit in Gary Kubiak‘s offense. You’d think that beard would weigh him down, but the Harvard grad is an athletic dude.
https://twitter.com/vaiishaliii/status/664172951470780418
There’s no doubt that Fitzpatrick could run the bootleg, even if it terrifies him to do so:
The best thing about Fitzpatrick is that the Broncos wouldn’t have to commit to him long term. Again, he’s a stopgap quarterback, and a good one at that.
1. Brock Osweiler
Brock Osweiler is easily the favorite to be the Broncos starting quarterback next season, and it’s not close. Honestly, if he can just not look like an absolute disaster these next few weeks, the job is his.
Plus, the anticipation factor is definitely in his favor. Broncos fans — and the Broncos themselves — have been waiting to see what they can get out of Osweiler for years. And though we haven’t seen much of him, the franchise has clearly invested a lot in him; if they didn’t believe he was the future, he wouldn’t be here right now.
He’s also already got an awesome nickname!
The Brocket Launcher!
Credit goes to NutellaMoe on Reddit
This is Osweiler’s job to lose, and nobody, especially John Elway, wants him to lose it.