The Broncos aren’t going to be able to acquire a veteran, franchise QB
Jan 4, 2022, 2:29 PM
It’s fun to dream about the Broncos acquiring a franchise quarterback via trade. It’s reassuring to think the franchise can solve their six-year conundrum at the most-important position in football by waving their magic wand.
But the reality is that it’s not going to happen. There’s plenty of evidence to support this pessimistic outlook.
Historically, teams don’t let franchise quarterbacks walk out the door. They know they’re hard to come by, so they don’t want to voluntarily put themselves in the position the Broncos are currently in, searching for answers.
That’s the norm. That’s what almost always happens.
The Colts let Peyton Manning walk via free agency, but that was a unicorn. The Hall of Fame QB was coming off of four neck surgeries, missed an entire season and wasn’t sure he could ever play again. Plus, Indianapolis had the No. 1 overall pick and a generational quarterback, Andrew Luck, was coming out in the draft.
The Chargers let Drew Brees walk, but he was also coming off of an injury and they had Philip Rivers waiting in the wings. And at the time, Brees was far from a great quarterback.
It takes a confluence of factors for a franchise to be willing to move on. That just doesn’t happen very often.
None of the current teams rumored to be ready to move on from their franchise QB are in that scenario. Deshaun Watson is the closest, as his legal troubles create a murky future in a manner similar to a major injury, and the Texans will have a top-five pick. But there isn’t a slam-dunk selection in the draft to be his replacement in Houston.
Typically speaking, teams will hold onto the QB until the bitter in. They’ll dig in their heels and try to win the staring contest.
This was on display a year ago. Aaron Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay. He did everything he could to force his way out. But the Packers wouldn’t budge.
Rodgers returned to the Frozen Tundra. And he’s about to win league MVP honors for the second-straight year.
Heck, even the Texans held firm. Despite the multiple allegations against Watson, they’re waiting to see what happens with their talented-but-troubled quarterback.
Last offseason, the Lions did break from the norm. They were willing to trade Matthew Stafford.
But that seemed more like an organization giving a great player a “get out of jail free” card. After a decade languishing in the Motor City, dealing with the franchise’s dysfunction, the Lions allowed him a chance to finish his career somewhere else. They showed mercy and traded him to the Rams.
That’s unlikely to happen again. Few teams make those kinds of decisions.
And after what transpired in 2021, it’s unlikely that any franchise will make that mistake again. They’re unlikely to put themselves in that situation.
For one, they’ve seen how it’s blown up in the face of the Lions. Stafford has thrived in Los Angeles, making the Rams a Super Bowl contender, while Detroit has sputtered with Jared Goff, going 2-13-1 so far this season.
In addition, the main teams in the conversation for moving on from their franchise QBs have seen a glimpse of what life will be like without them. They all got a chance to see what their future could look like.
With Watson in legal limbo, the Texans have gone 4-12. Clearly, Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills aren’t the answer.
While Rodgers was out one week with COVID, the high-flying Packers came to a screeching halt. Green Bay scored seven points, with Jordan Love throwing for 190 yards, in a 13-7 loss to Kansas City.
When Russell Wilson missed multiple games with a finger injury, the Seahawks sputtered. Seattle went 2-1 with Geno Smith as their starter, with the only win coming over the Jaguars. In his three starts, Smith averaged 190.3 passing yards per game.
And when Kirk Cousins was sidelined with COVID on Sunday night, the Vikings got boat-raced by the Packers. Sean Mannion was completely incompetent, as Minnesota lost 37-10.
Without a clear-cut plan for how they’re going to move onto a bona-fide future star, there’s no way these franchises are going to part ways with their current QB. And those quarterbacks aren’t out there in the 2022 NFL Draft.
That’s why there is zero chance that the Packers, Seahawks, Texans and Vikings are ready for a future with Love, Smith, Mills and Mannion. They’ll dig in their heels and force their QBs to return.
So while it’s fun to dream about the Broncos solving their quarterback issues in one move, it’s not going to happen. Peyton Manning was a unicorn. It’s not going to happen again.
