John Elway made a strong push to keep Brock Osweiler in the orange and blue, but at the end of the day, the former second-round pick chose Houston over Denver, and the Broncos are just fine with that decision.
While speaking with Dave Logan and Susie Wargin of KOA radio on Friday, Elway reflected on the Osweiler negotiations, saying (via Pro Football Talk), “A lot of times those deals you don’t make are the best ones.”
While Osweiler, who played on Thursday, has played in one more game than Siemian, their numbers through two games were remarkably similar.
Osweiler: 60% completion; 499 yards; 3 TDs; 3INTs; 79.2 QB Rating
Siemian: 69% completion; 444 yards; 1 TDs; 3 INTs; 74.4 QB Rating
But here’s the main difference:
Osweiler: $18 million
Siemian: $583,196
Those are the average salaries of both quarterbacks, and unless Osweiler is playing at a level 30 times better than Siemian, it’s hard to argue the Broncos don’t have the better deal.
John Elway would agree.
“You try to make the best decision when you have to make it … Excluding (Thursday) night, we really felt good with the way everything’s fallen, the way we went into camp, and we’re really excited with the guys who are playing the position for us now,” Elway said.
Osweiler was paid like a franchise quarterback this season, and he’ll have to perform like one to prove he’s worth the contract the Texans gave him. If he continues to be mentioned in the same breath as a second-year, seventh-round draft pick, either there’s a problem in Houston or Trevor Siemian is proving to be the biggest bargain in the NFL.