Brock Osweiler is getting an unprecedented second chance
Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler is getting the type of second chance that rarely, if ever, comes around in today’s NFL…
Brock Osweiler is getting the opportunity to rewrite a story that rarely — if ever — happens in professional sports.
Osweiler spurned a big offer from John Elway and the Denver Broncos, fresh off of a Super Bowl title and the loss of a legend at quarterback in Peyton Manning, to sign a big money deal with the Houston Texans.
You all know the story.
The Texans ended up winning the AFC South last season, and even won a playoff game against a Raiders team without Derek Carr. Heck, the Texans even hung with the Patriots in the second round of the playoffs for three quarters before Tom Brady took over.
But Osweiler’s ups and downs with the franchise resulted in a bizarre trade to Cleveland, along with a second round pick heading to the Browns, just so the Texans could rid themselves of Osweiler and his salary.
Osweiler’s tenure in Cleveland was probably over before it started, but he was shockingly named the starter in the offseason and ended up getting released before the regular season.
As fate would have it, the Broncos had a need for a backup quarterback with Paxton Lynch injured, Chad Kelly injured, and Kyle Sloter the only option behind Trevor Siemian. In need of a player with NFL experience, and on a limited budget, Osweiler came running and the Broncos came calling.
It was a shocking turn of events that, as of March 2016, no one would have seen coming.
Osweiler said after his arrival in September that he still sees himself as a starter in the NFL, and he feels like he proved it in Denver in 2015. When he realized the grass wasn’t greener with the Houston Texans, he probably had some regret for his decision, but he wouldn’t admit that upon signing back with the Broncos.
Here’s what he told the Denver media the day after he signed with the Broncos about becoming a free agent again at the time of final cuts:
"“There were other offers and I basically told my agency, ‘Listen, I love and respect you guys and I love what you guys do, but if there’s an offer from Denver, I don’t care if it’s a dollar, that’s where we’re going.'”Brock Osweiler, September 4th, 2017 (quotes via Broncos PR)"
Not only did Osweiler want to be back in Denver, you can tell he sensed the opportunity that still existed there. He knew Trevor Siemian, and while he’d struggled in Houston himself, he knew that Siemian had also struggled in Denver.
He would have to come in and earn the respect of his teammates and coaches again with the Broncos, but just getting the opportunity was something he couldn’t pass up.
A second chance.
A rare second chance.
Really, an unprecedented second chance.
Osweiler’s return to Denver is really the only situation I can recall in professional sports where a player bolted for a new city without ever even meeting with the team beforehand, spurning the team that drafted them and groomed them and offered them big money, and then returning less than two years later.
It’s absolutely one of the wildest stories in sports this year.
The story of LeBron James leaving Cleveland had less to do with LeBron spurning Cleveland and more to do with him making a decision professionally to improve his brand, get championships, and play with his pals in South Beach. LeBron came home to Cleveland after he’d gotten what he wanted out of the Heat.
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Osweiler’s career trajectory after getting traded to Cleveland in a complete salary dump was about as bad as you could project.
And then, as fate would have it, the situation in Denver opened up.
Osweiler’s previous stint in Denver ended with the stretch of games that led to him becoming a highly sought after quarterback on the free agent market. He was tasked with replacing Peyton Manning during a championship season, and he more than held his own.
While Osweiler experienced plenty of growing pains along the way, he undoubtedly proved in 2015 that he can play in this league, and hopefully he can do that again.
The Broncos find themselves in another interesting predicament with Osweiler taking the ball for a struggling (if not ailing) quarterback. This time, he’s not replacing the great Peyton Manning. He’s replacing Trevor Siemian, and has a legitimate chance to seize a job that he was once given the opportunity to just take.
The other crazy thing with Osweiler?
He’s still just 26 years old.
He will turn 27 on November 22nd, but how crazy is it that a guy who feels like he’s been around forever is still not even 27 years of age?
Next: Denver Broncos 2018 Mock Draft
The Broncos drafted Osweiler in 2012, and at the time, he was one of the youngest players in the NFL. He’s had plenty of time since then to develop and mature, and hopefully he will come to find that leaving Denver was one of the best decisions he ever made, because it taught him not to take for granted what a great opportunity it is/was.
If Osweiler helps the Broncos back into the playoff mix, he could re-seize the position he was once the heir apparent to. He could accomplish something that has really never been done before.
One game at a time.