The Denver Broncos might be looking at A.J. McCarron as a free agent fit if Kirk Cousins decides he’s going to play elsewhere…
We’re all fascinated to see what happens with the Denver Broncos on the free agent market, specifically at the quarterback position, and one player you can’t rule out just yet is Cincinnati Bengals free agent A.J. McCarron.
The Broncos are reportedly going to submit offers to both Kirk Cousins and Case Keenum, considered two of the top three free agent quarterbacks on the market (Drew Brees is probably the best free agent overall). But if Cousins signs elsewhere for all this guaranteed money that’s being talked about, the Broncos might be interested in a cheaper option at the position to address other holes on the roster, and then draft a quarterback at number five overall.
Case Keenum should also have a good market from teams seeking a starting quarterback, and there are teams with more money and more motivation to sign Keenum than Denver.
That’s where McCarron comes in. Both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport have mentioned him in connection with the Broncos in recent days, despite Mike Klis reporting that the Broncos did not appear to be in on McCarron last week.
On @NFLNetwork, @RapSheet names AJ McCarron as a potential target for the Broncos if Cousins lands elsewhere. AJ knows coach Vance Joseph from Cincy.
— Marc Sessler (@MarcSessler) March 12, 2018
This makes McCarron a very interesting name to me.
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I don’t know what his market will be, but if it’s over $15 million per season, you can likely forget about this. The Broncos don’t need to make the same ridiculous mistake the Bears did last offseason by signing Mike Glennon for way too much money just to delay the start of their new era at the position.
We all know McCarron would not likely be the next franchise quarterback in Denver, or at least, he wouldn’t be paid like that. But if McCarron is willing to sign a low-level starter deal, perhaps a two-year contract with just over a year’s worth of guarantees, the Broncos may pay that price and then draft their quarterback at five overall.
The price to get McCarron would have to be substantially lower than Keenum or Cousins to justify prioritizing him, but it is a name to watch for. Keenum is going to sign somewhere that will give him a chance to start.
That place could very well be Denver.