Every NFL team wants to find their long-term answer at the quarterback position. Until you have an answer at the quarterback position, being competitive is really just a pipe dream. The Denver Broncos and new general manager George Paton have to figure out rather quickly what the team’s direction at quarterback for 2021 and beyond is going to be.
The Denver Broncos’ current quarterback is Drew Lock, who played in 13 games this past season with 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Lock was essentially playing in his “rookie” season in 2020 with very difficult circumstances and the youngest supporting cast in the entire league.
The growing pains were difficult, as many expected, but were they tolerable enough for the Denver Broncos — under the new management of George Paton — to pass on a player like Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions, who is available?
Paton has a history in Minnesota of finding quarterbacks every which way, including making bold moves through the NFL Draft, free agency, and via trade.
John Elway made arguably the greatest move of any NFL executive in the last few decades (maybe ever) when he acquired Peyton Manning in the 2012 free agent signing period.
It will be fascinating to see what unfolds with Stafford in Detroit regardless of how much the Denver Broncos end up being involved. The oddsmakers seem to think Denver has a really good chance of trading for him.
Pressing forward with Lock in a second year with Pat Shurmur is still the preferred option of plenty in Broncos Country, but the reality is that the Denver Broncos could pursue Stafford now that he’s looking for a new team.
If there’s a sweepstakes happening, what makes Denver the best fit?
Here are a few of the major reasons the Denver Broncos would be Stafford’s best destination even up against other teams that finished better than did the Broncos in 2020.
Why the Denver Broncos are the best fit for Matthew Stafford
6. Colorado vs. other possible destinations
This may seem fairly minor in comparison to the “football” reasons for acquiring a player like this, but there is no question that Matthew Stafford and his wife Kelly will be weighing the different cities they could possibly land together if the Detroit Lions give him any sort of say in where he goes.
It would make sense for them to do so given the fact that Stafford is probably the best quarterback in franchise history.
If the Lions let Stafford have a say in things, the amount of say that his wife Kelly could have in things cannot be overstated. The Staffords were in Colorado recently taking a vacation, and there is no doubt about the appeal of living in Colorado over the long-term. Peyton Manning made Colorado his permanent area of residence after his playing days with the Broncos and others who have come through Denver before have made it their permanent residence.
Looking at this as both a career move and lifestyle change, the advantages of living in Colorado for a season of life versus other areas of the country have to be considered, especially if the Lions are affording Stafford any sort of say in the matter.
Why the Denver Broncos are the best spot for Matthew Stafford
5. Denver’s track record of success with veteran QBs
Of course in the NFL, it’s ideal if you can draft your own franchise quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs suffered through decades of Denver Broncos success before landing Patrick Mahomes in 2017, and Mahomes looks like a truly generational-type of player at his position.
Since John Elway retired, the Denver Broncos have become somewhat masters of bringing in veteran quarterbacks and having tremendous success with them.
When free agent Jake Plummer came aboard in 2003, he led the Denver Broncos to 39 wins in 54 starts, making the playoffs in three straight seasons (2003-05) and reaching the AFC Championship game in 2005. The Plummer-led Broncos were the first team to ever beat Tom Brady in the postseason, in case you ever need that answer on Jeopardy.
After Plummer, the Broncos’ primary starters were Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, and Tim Tebow. In 2012, John Elway made arguably the biggest free agent acquisition in NFL history by signing Peyton Manning.
Manning was an instant MVP candidate for the Denver Broncos from 2012-14 and helped the team win Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season.
Stafford is going to be 33 this season and the Broncos can point directly to the precedence of great success for other veteran quarterbacks to come through town.
Why the Denver Broncos are the best spot for Matthew Stafford
4. The Broncos can afford it
The Denver Broncos carried over more than $17 million in cap space from 2020 to 2021. With a couple of salary cap casualties and a projected league cap of around $188 million (per Broncos kicker Brandon McManus), this team should have no issues whatsoever fitting Stafford and his $20 million cap hit (2021) on the books.
The Broncos do not have a ton of big contracts on the books, but they do have a few that they will have to make some interesting decisions on.
Denver does not have a plethora of cap space like the Indianapolis Colts do, but there is no doubt they could find a way to fit Stafford into their budget.
The biggest issue fans may take with the potential cost of acquiring Stafford (his AAV is already middle-of-the-pack for starting quarterbacks, believe it or not) has little to do with the financial impact and everything to do with the cost of trading valuable draft capital.
What is going to be the price of acquiring Stafford? Would it be the Broncos’ 9th overall pick? The 40th overall pick and then some? Would players have to be included?
At this point, nobody really knows because no one knows how desperate other teams are going to be to acquire him. The market could dictate what the Denver Broncos would have to pay in terms of a trade, and if it’s assumed a team like the Colts or 49ers would have no issue parting with their first-round pick given the state of their roster otherwise, the Broncos would probably have to pay a price that could cause some fans to lose sleep at night.
Losing the 9th overall pick, in particular, for a quarterback with two years left on his contract would be slightly cringe-worthy, but if the Broncos were investing a high draft choice (or more) in a player like Stafford, this would be considered a likely five-year move if all goes well.
The immediate impact of losing draft capital would be hard for fans to stomach, but in the long run, there might be more benefit to all parties involved because of how Stafford would presumably raise all boats in Denver.
An impact quarterback like Stafford might be worth more to the Denver Broncos over the next four years than whatever defensive player they could select with that 9th overall pick.
With nine total selections in 2021, the Broncos have the draft capital to afford Stafford. In fact, of the teams with any sort of rumored interest, they actually have the highest pick in each round.
Not only do they have the draft capital, but the Broncos also have the financial flexibility to make this work.
Why the Denver Broncos are the best spot for Matthew Stafford
3. 2021 is crucial for Vic Fangio and his staff
The Denver Broncos have assembled a heck of a coaching staff when it comes to experience in the NFL as well as expertise in certain areas.
The Broncos have arguably the best defensive coach in the entire league in Vic Fangio as well as the best offensive line coach in Mike Munchak.
Pat Shurmur is not renowned as one of the league’s most innovative offensive minds, but he has certainly had plenty of success at his various stops as an offensive coordinator.
The 2021 season is critical for this coaching staff in Denver. Fangio and the Broncos closed out his rookie head coach season in 2019 strong with four wins in the final five games to ultimately finish second place in the division.
In 2020, Fangio was basically given a pass by the front office because the team suffered such an insane number of critical injuries while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, a young offense in a new system, and the fact that this season had always been a year of discovery when it came to quarterback Drew Lock.
In 2021, however, the expectations will almost undoubtedly be for Fangio to prove that he can have this team in contention in the AFC West. The Broncos, despite their poor record, played the Chiefs just about as well as anyone this past season when it comes to matching up against their offense. Fangio has implemented a “never quit” kind of culture in Denver and the players have bought in.
Whether or not Fangio keeps his job beyond 2021 will be up to new GM George Paton, but if things don’t go well in 2021, Fangio could be out of a job and the Broncos on the head coaching market yet again.
Nobody knows if 2021 will be “win or bust” for Fangio and company but that seems relatively safe to assume in year three with 2020 chalked up to a learning experience all around.
If that is the case, wouldn’t it make sense for Fangio to campaign for a veteran quarterback to come in and push the offense forward immediately? There has been plenty of promise shown by Drew Lock, but outside of a Josh Allen-like leap, can the Broncos put their faith there for the 2021 season?
Stafford is a proven commodity at the position who might help this coaching staff keep their jobs in 2022 and beyond.
Why the Denver Broncos are the best spot for Matthew Stafford
2. The offensive line took a huge leap forward in 2020
The Indianapolis Colts are widely considered to have a better all-around offensive line than the Denver Broncos, and at some positions that is certainly true.
Quenton Nelson is a tremendous left guard, Ryan Kelly is one of the best centers in the league, and right tackle Braden Smith has been very good for Indianapolis.
The Broncos’ offensive line had been patchwork going into the 2020 season with major question marks at every position except left guard (Dalton Risner) but the unit as a whole took a huge leap forward in 2020.
The Colts lost their left tackle Anthony Castonzo to retirement, and the San Francisco 49ers will have to figure out how to re-sign Trent Williams who is a free agent.
When you look at each team’s offensive line, it’s not egregious to say that the Broncos’ group is arguably the best considering Garett Bolles’ huge leap in play in 2020, the development of Risner and rookie center Lloyd Cushenberry, as well as veterans Graham Glasgow and Ja’Wuan James expected back in 2021.
This unit took such a substantial step forward collectively throughout the 2020 season that I think it can be viewed as a tremendous asset if the team is trying to convince Matthew Stafford to pick them over another situation.
Drew Lock was sacked just 19 times with 443 pass attempts. Stafford has never even come close to that low of a number in a non-injury-shortened season.
With another year to develop under Mike Munchak, this Denver offensive line should be expected to just keep getting better.
Why the Denver Broncos are the best spot for Matthew Stafford
1. Offensive weapons
With all due respect to the other teams potentially involved in the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes, I don’t think any other team can match the Denver Broncos in terms of their offensive weaponry.
The San Francisco 49ers can make a compelling argument with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk, but the Broncos’ collection of targets in the passing game might have Stafford thinking about his 2011 group in Detroit.
The Broncos’ wide receiver room alone includes the likes of Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler. The tight end duo of Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam is one of the most athletic in the entire league.
At least for 2021, the Broncos also have Melvin Gordon under contract and it won’t be difficult to bring Phillip Lindsay back or add more talent at running back through the 2021 NFL Draft.
There is no question the Broncos’ offensive weaponry at present is better than the Indianapolis Colts, and I certainly wouldn’t do a straight-up swap for the 49ers’ weapons either.
The talent on Denver’s roster right now could be primed for a similar collective step forward with a veteran QB under center as we saw in 2012 when Peyton Manning arrived to the young receiver duo of Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker with Julius Thomas joining the fray at tight end as well as Wes Welker in the slot in 2013.
The talent the Broncos have at the offensive skill positions is enviable, and a quarterback like Stafford would be crazy not to be intrigued by it.
Ultimately, it remains a mystery if the Denver Broncos will move forward with Drew Lock or someone else at the quarterback position.
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The Denver Broncos will have to be aggressive without being reckless in 2021 free agency. Who should be on their wish list?
If the team is going to add a player like Stafford, that move could happen rather quickly because making that kind of acquisition would completely shift your offseason strategy and would impact every other move thereafter.