Report: Broncos ‘touched base’ with agent of Kirk Cousins before he went to Falcons

The crater in the Broncos’ salary cap has forced them to navigate some issues — and take a different approach to their quarterback pursuit. For starters, it kept them from pursuing Kirk Cousins.

Cousins, who signed with Atlanta after a 6-season hitch with the Minnesota Vikings, hit free agency last week. In short order, he agreed to a 4-year, $180-million contract that included $100 million in guarantees.

In terms of cash, the Broncos could afford that. But in regard so their salary cap, it’s a different story. Nevertheless, it didn’t prevent the Broncos from reaching out to Cousins’ camp.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Broncos general manager George Paton “touched base” with Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney.

Writes Breer:

The Broncos and GM George Paton had also touched base with McCartney, letting him know that, while the team was a little hamstrung cap-wise, he and Sean Payton liked Cousins a lot, and would be interested if the market changed a bit.

“A little hamstrung” is an understatement considering that the Broncos are saddled with the single-largest one-year dead-money figure in NFL history: the $53 million allocated to Russell Wilson.

Before free agency, NFL Network reported that Cousins could “quite possibly” be the subject of a Broncos pursuit. However, that notion quickly evaporated as the price tag for Cousins — and other free agents — apparent.

Indeed, after losing Cousins, Minnesota turned to Sam Darnold, signing him to a 1-year, $10-million contract. That price was too rich for the Broncos budget, as they pulled out of the running when seeing the potential price for the former Jets, Panthers and 49ers quarterback.

Denver’s only additions from outside the roster have been safety Brandon Jones, linebacker Cody Barton and defensive lineman Malcolm Roach. Jones carries a 2024 cap figure of $3,318,333, per OvertheCap.com. Roach has a 2024 figure of $2.855 million, while Barton checks in at $3.5 million.

That combined cap figure for 2024 of $9.673 million is less than the $10-million, one-year outlay from the Vikings to Darnold. And therein lies the position in which the Broncos stand.

The Broncos are expected to have the league’s largest dead-money figure — at just over $67 million.

WHY KIRK COUSINS WOULD HAVE APPEALED TO THE BRONCOS

Having run the Shanahan-McVay offense effectively during his time with Washington and Minnesota, Cousins’ quick reads and pocket presence would translate to the Broncos attack. And no developmental curve would have been necessary.

But given where the Broncos stand in their building process and where Cousins sits heading into his 13th NFL season, “>their timing wasn’t aligned. And only with a cheap price tag would it have been viable.

The contract Atlanta gave Cousins ensured that any Broncos interest was DOA.