Kirk Cousins could be the future at quarterback for the Broncos
The Denver Broncos could look to Kirk Cousins this offseason to fix their quarterback woes, and it wouldn’t be the first time they pursued him…
The Denver Broncos had a plan in 2012 to secure the quarterback position for a long, long time.
The plan was to sign Peyton Manning and then draft his successor, who would simply take over in four or five years and make the transition seamless.
As John Elway called it at the time, “Plan A”.
There was no ‘Plan B’, as it were, and the Broncos’ hopes of four or five years with Manning followed by the re-signing of the quarterback they drafted — Brock Osweiler — were foiled by Osweiler’s hurt feelings.
The Broncos selected Osweiler in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, a bold move considering Osweiler’s lack of starting experience in college but a smart move at the time considering his physical skills, age, and potential.
No one questioned bringing in a talented understudy to Manning, but the question in a very deep draft for quarterbacks was simply — who?
Prior to the 2012 NFL Draft, the Broncos obviously did some extensive work on the quarterback position, and brought in many players for pre-draft visits. One of those players was Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, a player projected to go at some point early on day three of the draft.
Cousins said after he was drafted in the fourth round by Washington that he was shocked they picked him. He named two teams specifically that he thought he would get drafted by instead of the Redskins…
"“I was shocked, knowing what they had done with the No. 2 pick, and I hadn’t talked to them that much in the process,” Cousins said of the Redskins taking him. “I would have said probably Denver or Philadelphia, in terms of teams that had shown interest and were looking for a quarterback.”Pro Football Talk"
Perhaps now, with the Broncos’ quarterback position unsettled almost six years later (to say the least), they will once again look to Cousins to be the future of the franchise.
It’s not like this hasn’t been talked about before, because anyone who has a platform in the football opinion industry has thought, “You know what? Kirk Cousins to Denver sounds like an idea that could work…”
The issue is whether the Broncos would commit that much money to a quarterback after already committing to the defensive side of the football as their primary financial investment?
Do the Broncos feel like Cousins makes them an instant contender again?
Would Cousins choose the Broncos over other options?
The Broncos will get a chance to play against Cousins this Sunday in Washington, and get an up-close-and-personal look at the guy that they could pursue in about three months to be their next franchise quarterback.
Denver, probably more than anyone else in the NFL, has had success with bringing in quarterbacks from other teams that come in and play well in the Mile High City.
Most recently, players like Jake Plummer and Peyton Manning have (in completely different ways) played MVP caliber football with the Broncos after starting their career with other teams.
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Cousins would certainly come at a significant cost, but there is precedence of interest from Denver and the situation with the Broncos having a top defense and a huge need at quarterback seems to indicate that they would at least be willing to consider the possibility of bringing him in.
If the cost is too prohibitive, and it could very well be, it unfortunately washes out what would otherwise be a very good fit for the Broncos, and for Cousins.
Cousins has been among the highest paid in the NFL at his position for two straight seasons under the franchise tag, and entering his age 30 season in 2018, he’s expected to make some really good money on the open market as a free agent.
I don’t think anyone is under the illusion that Cousins is a top five quarterback in the league, but he’s a very good player and a leader whose teammates respond to his leadership. He’s grown tremendously over the past four seasons, and has become a player you can build around.
Both sides would have to jump through some hoops to make this situation work, but for a player hitting the open market, a team having the need for his services, as well as a roster loaded with players that have won a championship as recently as 2015-16, it’s something that both would be wise to try and work out.