Johnny Manziel is not in a position where he should be on an NFL roster, let alone the Broncos’ roster, but if he were to be signed by anyone, I’ve got no doubt that the Denver Broncos are the most likely candidate.
And this isn’t a question of should they or shouldn’t they. This is simply a reading of the tea leaves, and if you look closely, they all point to Manziel ending up in Denver.
Now, earlier this week, Adam Schefter reported that Gary Kubiak had met with Manziel this offseason with the idea of possibly signing him down the road. Mike Klis of 9News, as well as several others close to the team, immediately refuted the Broncos interest, but that’s not the point. The point is that Kubiak, unlike any other head coach in the NFL, is privately meeting with Johnny Manziel.
That means something.
You could write it off to their Texas A&M ties, and you’d be right; you’d also be making my point.
There’s already a relationship between Manziel and Kubiak — strong enough, apparently, that Kubiak goes out of his way to check in on the young quarterback — a relationship that could spark into something more down the line.
And if there’s a relationship between Manziel and Kubiak, then there’s a full-blown bromance between Manziel and Von Miller. We’ve already seen them hanging out all offseason, and Miller has said that if it were up to him, Johnny Football “would already be with the Broncos.”
Von Miller on Denver Broncos interest in Johnny Manziel. Said if it was up to him Manziel would already be on team pic.twitter.com/PJ0MN68TUc
— 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕤 𝕃. 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 (@Travis_L_Brown) April 8, 2016
And when asked about his relationship with Miller by TMZ Sports, Manziel was even more glowing.
“You know, my guy Von’s there,” Manziel said. “And all I’ll speak about Von is … he’s one of the greatest dudes I’ve ever known. So if I can get with Von Miller, I’ll be in good shape.”
As Mile High Sports Radio’s own Benjamin Allbright reported yesterday, Manziel has a long ways to go before any team considers him an option, and the Broncos are no different.
https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/718551296723189760
But … if Manziel were to make a comeback — whether it be this year, next year or the year after that — no team makes more sense than the Denver Broncos. More than anything, Manziel needs stability, leadership and role models; the Broncos can offer all of that and more.
Between John Elway, Gary Kubiak, Von Miller and the rest of this Broncos roster, Manziel will not find more support anywhere else. The concern, though, would be: Does it even matter?
Yes, the Broncos could offer Manziel the hand he needs to pull himself back up onto stable ground, but if he refuses to take it, there’s nothing Denver can do about it.
Right now, Manziel is a guy who’s in need of help, not a football team. The Broncos understand that. But if he does manage to get his life in order, don’t be surprised if the first team that comes calling is the Denver Broncos, whether you like it or not.