A bold move would add a long-term answer to the Broncos QB question

Aaron Rodgers. Russell Wilson. Deshaun Watson.

That’s the top group.

Kirk Cousins. Jimmy Garoppolo. Carson Wentz.

That’s the next batch of names.

Jameis Winston. Marcus Mariota. Mitchell Trubisky.

Those are the best free agents available.

Kenny Pickett. Matt Corral. Malik Willis.

Those are the potential first-round picks in the discussion.

It’s the same names over and over. Around and around it goes. The Broncos search for a quarterback continues.

They need to get lucky. They need to settle. Or they need to reach. Those are seemingly the only three options for solving a conundrum that has befuddled the organization since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50.

None of them seem like a good bet. They all have a feel of desperation.

That’s why the Broncos need to take things into their own hands. They need to create an outside-the-box option. And it’s there for the taking, if they’re willing to get creative.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the 49ers will move on from Garoppolo this offseason. After giving up three first-round picks, plus a third, to move up for Trey Lance a year ago, most people expect San Francisco to turn the page and go with the youngster in 2022.

That makes sense. But it’s not a cut-and-dry decision.

In the last three years, the Niners have played in two NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl. Since acquiring Jimmy G, they’re 31-14 when he starts at quarterback. The team is 8-28 when he doesn’t.

So there has to be a part of Kyle Shanahan that is torn. Yes, Lance has a ton of ability. That’s why they gave up so much to get him. But he’s a complete unknown. At 21 years old, no one knows how long it will take him to develop.

The Niners are a Super Bowl contender with Garoppolo. They lost to the eventual champion Rams by three points in the NFC title game. They were that close to hoisting a Lombardi Trophy.

Shanahan might not want to move on. History might tell him that he shouldn’t.

In 2005, his father was within one game of the Super Bowl when the Broncos lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. But Mike Shanahan wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to move on from Jake Plummer, picking Jay Cutler in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Eleven games into the next season, with a 7-4 record, Shanahan made the switch. He benched Plummer in favor of Cutler.

The Broncos finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. They went 7-9 in ‘07 and 8-8 in ‘08, missing the postseason both years.

Shanahan was fired. Cutler was traded. And Denver wouldn’t return to the playoffs until Tim Tebow led them there in 2011.

Kyle Shanahan could be setting himself up for a similar fate if he swings for the fences and makes the switch. His team is a contender right now. There’s no guarantee they would be with Lance.

If they take a step backwards with the young QB, which seems likely in the short term, Shanahan could be on the hot seat. Things change fast in the NFL.

That’s why the Broncos need to help him out of his dilemma. They need to throw the Niners a lifeline.

Make it easy for San Francisco to stick with Garoppolo. Help them recoup what they invested in Lance.

The Broncos should offer the 49ers three ones and a third for the young quarterback. Then, go all in on building around him.

Lance is talented enough that Shanahan and John Lynch were willing to mortgage their future to get him. George Paton and Nathaniel Hackett should do the same thing.

Lance has the skill set to develop into a Josh Allen-type quarterback. He has the potential to be a star, something the Broncos need in a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert and a conference with Allen and Justin Burrow.

It’d be a bold move. It’d be a gamble. But it’s that kind of daring approach that is necessary.

The Niners would transition to Lance under almost any other circumstances. But when they’re knocking on the door of a Super Bowl, and figure they will be for the next three or four years with Garoppolo, they have a reason to change course.

The Broncos need to steer them in that direction. They need to make them an offer they can’t refuse.

Forget the usual names being tossed around. It’s time to add a new one to the list.

Trey Lance should be the answer to the Broncos QB question.

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