Projected contract for free agent QB might be too much for Denver Broncos

If this ends up being the asking price for a top free agent quarterback, the Denver Broncos would be best suited looking elsewhere for their franchise passer. In a bit if a surprising twist, the free agent QB class in 2024 is actually pretty strong. The free agent QB class is littered with high-end backup passers who could serve as bridge QBs for certain teams.

The top free agent QB is Kirk Cousins, who is about four months removed from the torn Achilles he suffered about halfway through the 2023 NFL Season. And this latest social media post from Cousins does seem to an encouraging sign that he could be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL Season:

Cousins has about six-ish months left to rehab before Week 1 kicks off, and if I had to guess, I'd bet that he'd be more than ready for Week 1. Well, Kirk Cousins is a free agent in 2024 and also happens to be a near-perfect fit for Sean Payton's offense. Cousins is a pure pocket passer who plays best in the rhythm and timing-based schemes. And that is precisely what Sean Payton desires in a QB. I am sure Payton would love to have Cousins quarterbacking the Denver Broncos, but the injury coupled with the potential contract demands might be too much for the Broncos to stomach.

Spotrac projects Cousins to sign a three-year, $100 million deal in 2024:

"Cousins has spent 6 years on a fully guaranteed contract in Minnesota, but that may not be in the cards this time around. While a return to the Vikings still appears imminent, Cousins may need to drop his value to secure 2 fully guaranteed seasons on his next contract, as we’ve noted here. In this projection, Cousins gets $50M in 2024, and is fully guaranteed $75M through 2025."

- Michael Ginnitti

The contract features $75 million in guarantees, which is structured to see Cousins get $50 million in 2024 and $25 million in 2025. The Denver Broncos would be an efficient offense with Kirk Cousins under center, but if this would be the asking price from his camp, they'd be best to stay far away, especially with the financial burden from the likely release of Russell Wilson.

If the Broncos didn't have Russell Wilson's contract on the books and had cap space, I think they'd be big players for Cousins, but this might be too rich for their liking.