Say goodbye to the Mark Sanchez era.
Before he could even step onto the field for the Denver Broncos in a game that actually mattered, Sanchez’s time in the orange and blue has come to the end. With Trevor Siemian being named the starter, Sanchez is reportedly on the trading block, and if he’s not dealt soon, he’ll likely be cut outright.
But the Broncos aren’t going into the regular season with just two quarterbacks on their roster, especially when those two quarterbacks have a combined zero NFL passes to their name. No, the Broncos will sign a veteran clipboard holder who can look pretty on the sidelines and help mentor Siemian and Lynch in the classroom.
They’ll find someone like Mark Sanchez, only significantly cheaper.
Here are three options:
Charlie Whitehurst
Clipboard Jesus!
Here’s what you need to know about Charlie Whitehurst: He knows how to hold a clipboard, he can drive “any vehicle to its limit,” he’s going to look sexy while doing it and he could care less about starting.
He’s the perfect backup.
Whitehurst has spent a decade in the NFL, earning millions of dollars, and only starting nine games at quarterback.
In all honestly, the Broncos don’t need a quarterback; they need a backup quarterback. They need a guy who is a-ok with stashing a few more million in his bank account and bringing some level of a veteran presence into Denver’s quarterback room. That Whitehurst’s M.O.
Matt Flynn
Anytime the words “backup quarterback” come into conversation, the name Matt Flynn is sure to follow close behind.
Like Whitehurst, Flynn has made a career out of holding a clipboard, and he could do so again in Denver. The only difference with with Flynn is that he’s tried and failed to be a starting quarterback — thanks Russell Wilson.
Again, Flynn, who’s been out of the league for a year, would be a mess if he ever got on the field, but he’s spent the majority of his career playing behind Aaron Rodgers and has plenty of experience to pass along to Siemian and Lynch.
T.J. Yates
If you’re going to put your money down on anyone, this is the quarterback you want. Not only is he a Gary Kubiak guy, having played three years under him in Houston, but he has some legitimate experience — on par with the other options, at least.
Yates only has seven career regular season starts, but he’s 4-3 in those and has an additional postseason victory (1-1 in playoffs).
Again, it would be a relative disaster if he ever saw the field, but he’s a better option than the other two guys — at least he knows Kubiak’s system.
BONUS: Colin Kaepernick
Hot takes aside, Colin Kaepernick is very likely to be cut by the 49ers in the next week, making him available to anyone who wants him.
The Broncos, though, won’t be one of those teams.
Yes, Elway had interest in Kaepernick earlier this offseason, but that was before he had Paxton Lynch, a superior version of Kaepernick, on his bench. And, as Elway has made clear on multiple occasions, No. 7 isn’t a big fan of distractions, of which Colin Kaepernick most certainly would be.
It’s an interesting idea, but Kaepernick won’t be picked up by Denver, even if it’s for free.