In the past two years, Brock Osweiler has defeated the Patriots in overtime on Sunday Night Football. He was active when his Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. He signed a contract with the Houston Texans worth $72 million, with $37 million fully guaranteed. He became a father. And all that’s just in the last two years.

Still, Osweiler called his return to Denver “probably a top five, if not top three day of my life.”

His return comes in a roundabout way, making the enormity of the day for Osweiler even more compelling.

After losing his starting job in Texas and being traded to quarterback purgatory (Cleveland) this offseason, Osweiler still couldn’t win a starting job in training camp and was without a team on Saturday when roster cuts came down.

Denver swooped in and paid the league minimum for a backup to Trevor Siemian who posted a 5-2 record for the team (with an assist from Peyton Manning in the 2015 regular season finale).

Osweiler was overrun with emotion returning to the team that drafted him. He met with the Denver media on his first day back in a Broncos uniform. Here’s everything Osweiler had to say, courtesy of Broncos Media Relations.

On returning to Denver

“It’s hard to really describe it in words, but being back here today, practicing as a Bronco and being here at[UCHealth Training Center], it’s probably a top five, if not top three day of my life. Today’s been incredible.”

 On whether he thought he would come back to Denver so soon

“To be honest with you, no. I don’t think many people could have seen this situation taking place, but I will say I’m beyond excited that it did take place. This is home and I’m so thankful for this opportunity and I think that was about my fifth time thanking [Head Coach Vance Joseph] Coach for bringing me back and then I know I’ve thanked [President of Football Operations/General Manager] John [Elway] up and down. It’s just so great to be a Bronco again and back here in Colorado.”

On whether he regrets his decision to leave the Broncos

“I have no regret on my decision, I really don’t. I think you guys know me by now, I’m not that type of person that lives his life in regret and I also don’t look in the rear view mirror. I’m always looking forward. There’s no regret on the decision made, however I would say that I’m ecstatic to be back here. It’s kind of like that old deal when you’re a little kid and your mom tells you don’t touch the hot stove, so what do you have to do as a curious kid? You have to go touch the hot stove and you learn real quick how nice that stove is when it’s not hot. Needless to say, I’m very thankful to be back here. My wife and I, we miss Colorado every single day. This is a special place, special organization and a special city. I missed you and it’s just so great to be back.”

On how his teammates acted to him returning

“It was a great reception; I couldn’t have asked for anything better. The guys just said, ‘It’s great to have you back, it’s good to see you again,’ and there were a lot of smiles. It was very welcoming and like I said, it’s beyond great to be back.”

On his growth the last 18 months

“A lot of things have happened. Obviously there’s a lot of negative things that came from last season and a lot of ups and downs, but with that a lot of learning experiences. So because of that, I’m a better player. There was a throw that happened in practice today that I wouldn’t ‘t have made a year ago, but because I missed that throw in a game actually against San Diego last year and now I understand that defense, I’ve made that throw in stride today. There was also a lot of growth with the negative. I’ve grown as an athlete and I’ve grown as an individual. My wife and I, we have a baby girl now—I’m a father. I’m just trying to constantly evolve, constantly trying to learn and develop as a person and an athlete. “

On what he’s been told about his role on the team

“My role is to be the backup quarterback of this team and that’s where it should be. [QB] Trevor’s [Siemian] earned the right to be the starter and this is Trevor’s football team. He played great football last year, he had a great camp and he’s a great teammate. I completely understand that and I’m prepared and ready to support Trevor with whatever he needs. That was the first thing I said to him when we talked yesterday. I said, ‘Trev this is your team man and I’m here to do whatever you need me to do to help you prepare and win football games.’ Like I said, shoot I would come back here to be the water boy. It’s funny, I went in to go get cleats today and they asked what cleats I wanted and I said, ‘I don’t care, just give me something. I’ll go out there in bare feet today.’ This is Trevor’s team and I’m the back up.” 

On if he had any hard feelings when he left Denver prior to last season

“Any hard feelings? No. I think if you look back at all of my interviews from the time that I signed with Houston and then traded up to Cleveland, I spoke volumes of this organization and I spoke volumes of this city. I have nothing but love and appreciation for this organization, for John Elway, for [President and CEO] Joe Ellis and for the Bowlen family. Just for this community in itself, our old neighbors have reached out. This is just such a special place and there’s nothing but love and that’s how it’s always been, especially from my end. I want people to know that decision didn’t come lightly. I didn’t sleep for about a week. I was sick to my stomach every single day. I was a mess. At the end of the day, I tried making the best business decision for myself and my family. Whether I made the best one or not, that could be argued, but the fact of the matter is that it was made. I’m not going to live in the past, but I’ve always had nothing but love and appreciation for the Denver Broncos and the city of Denver.”

On his comfort level in Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy’s system

“Today was the first time I had an opportunity to see the playbook and there’s a lot of new things, but there’s some similarities. I think we’ll be able to put together a package come Monday night if something unfortunately was to happen to Trevor where I could step into the game and feel very comfortable.”

On if QB Paxton Lynch’s injury timeline made him weary about signing with Denver

“Great question. I wasn’t even worried about that. I was living in the moment. Like I said, I’ve had some great experiences in the past 18 months and some not so great experiences that I’ve learned from. There were other offers and I basically told my agency, ‘Listen, I love and respect you guys and I love what you guys do, but if there’s an offer from Denver, I don’t care if it’s a dollar, that’s where we’re going.’ I’m living in the moment and trying to make the most of today. I’m going to work as hard as I can to study this playbook today and then we’ll move on to tomorrow and see what happens.”

On if he envisioned Siemian becoming a starter in 2015

“You know what, I could. It goes back to the very first preseason game of 2015 when we played in Seattle. Most rookie quarterbacks step into the game there first time, whether it’s the first quarter or the fourth quarter it doesn’t matter, and they have a little bit of jitters and you see a little bit of rookie quarterback play. Not in Trevor. Trevor stepped in from Week 1, that first drive that he went out there against the Seahawks and played great. From that time, I knew that he could be special and he’s certainly proving that right now.”

On if he feels he could improve his abilities under this coaching staff

“Without question. I know that just from spending a half a day with this staff. John put incredible people in this building. [Quarterbacks] Coach [Bill] Musgrave and V.J.—it’s like stepping back and you’re just surrounded by great people. When you’re surround by great people, good things are going to happen, a good culture is going to be built, you’re going to get great effort out of your players, and you’re going to have great working relationships with players and coaches. Listen, John Elway knows what he’s doing and I trust everything that he’s doing, the coaches he puts in here and the decisions he makes. I’m just going to trust that process, listen to my coaches and just work one day at a time.”

On what he would say to the fans who still have hard feelings about him leaving the Broncos

“Of course, that’s a tough question. It’s difficult because unless you’ve ever been in that situation, it’s very difficult to I think understand it. However, I understand the anger, frustration, whatever you want to call it. Like I said earlier, I’ve never had anything but love and appreciation for this city and this organization. I just hope in time those fans who feel that way let me earn back their trust and get a great relationship again.” 

On if he sees himself as a starter in the future

“I do see myself as a starter in the National Football League. I feel like I proved that back in 2015. However, in saying that, this is Trevor Siemian’s team and right now my job is to be the backup of this football team and do it to the best of my ability. Get the scout team running, get our defense ready to go and I’m going to embrace that role with everything I have because like I said, I’m so happy to be back here and there’s not greater place in the NFL.”

Featured Image Credit: Ryan Greene