Several Denver Broncos players, including backup quarterback Brock Osweiler are slated to become unrestricted free agents come March.
With heavy speculation looming that Peyton Manning might retire, Osweiler stands to become the new leader of the franchise. Though whether Manning plays one more year or not, Osweiler has expressed his interest in staying with the Broncos.
“Every single guy on this team embraced me, and that is something I think they all know how thankful I am for that, but this is the best team in the world and we have a very special group in our locker room,” he said, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post.”
Now it would come down to the matter of paying the 25-year old signal caller. The Broncos could put a pricey franchise tag on Osweiler, which would essentially overpay him when it relates to his actual experience as a starter. That’s not happening, though, because it’s already understood that Von Miller will be tagged to keep him in Denver.
More likely, the Broncos will attempt to work on a short-term deal with the hope that what they offer is enough to keep him with the club.
Osweiler could choose to test the free agency as well in an attempt to drive up his eventual contract dollar figure. With only eight appearances under center with the Broncos, Osweiler doesn’t carry a whole lot of clout heading out to test the waters, but many NFL teams are desperate for a competent passer.
Osweiler was 5-2 as a starter for Denver and he completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,967 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He was benched in lieu of Manning late in Week 17 after throwing a couple of interceptions against the San Diego Chargers.
With Osweiler’s desire to remain with his Super Bowl champion team, it would appear he would do what it takes on his end to agree to terms to stay with Denver for the long haul.
Although as we know, the free agency period is usually packed with multiple surprises. It would not be shocking at all to see Osweiler pursued by another franchise in need of a quarterback. Though when it comes to Denver, we won’t likely see anything put on paper regarding Osweiler until the Broncos are informed of Manning’s plans.