Broncos general manager John Elway said Thursday afternoon that pending free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler isn’t a candidate for the franchise tag. He also doesn’t seem like a candidate to receive a mega-contract – not from the Broncos, anyway.
“When you look at where the salaries are on quarterbacks, either above $15 million or below $5 [million]. There’s no middle class of quarterbacks. So that’s where you hope you could get a fair deal with Brock’s people and his representatives,” Elway told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Elway believes Osweiler will put himself in position to hit the jackpot in the future if he re-signs with the Broncos at a reasonable rate this 
year.
“I think we do have a system that fits Brock very well,” he said. “So for Brock to have continued success, I don’t think will be, this won’t be his big contract, but this will be a contract where he’ll be able to make very good money and be able to prove himself that could lead to that next big contract.”
It’s fair to say Osweiler hasn’t shown enough on the field to warrant top-caliber money, but he’s young (25), was once a relatively high draft pick (a second-rounder in 2012), and possesses elite size (6-foot-8, 240 pounds). With all of that considered, Osweiler could exceed expectations on his next contract if he hits the free agent market March 9 and finds a QB-needy team willing to overpay for a slightly seasoned commodity.
While Osweiler showed hints last season of becoming the long-term solution under center for Denver, his numbers over eight games – 61 percent completion rate, 7.15 yards per attempt, 10 TDs, six picks – were unremarkable. Further, he wasn’t part of the Broncos’ playoff run after a knee injury knocked him out of action in Week 17. Peyton Manning, whose foot injury originally opened the door for Osweiler in November, took the reins back and never gave them up. Manning served in a game manager role throughout the postseason as the Broncos’ defense steamrolled its way to a Super Bowl title.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Some candor from Elway putting the ball in Osweiler’s court essentially, basically conceding the Broncos aren’t going to offer him a deal that exceeds this mostly nonexistent middle class in terms of AAV. A short-term accord makes the most sense for both parties, but a temptation will surely exist for the fifth-year quarterback to see if a team will pay him like a low- to mid-tier franchise QB. With Elway admitting he won’t tag Osweiler, a lot of dominoes are going to fall for the Broncos in the next 10-plus days, given the cap maneuvering they’ll have to do to keep who they want to keep.
Elway talks a good game and is right in his assessment. Unfortunately Broncos fans this is the new millennium which includes Free Agency.
Come March 9th Brock is a FA. Ask yourself this? If you were Brock and some team is willing to overpay you a King’s ransoms to come play for them which will set you and your family up for life or you can make let’s say $10 million annually for 2 years with the Broncos hoping to PROVE yourself which would you do in this violent sport?
Ten million in an audition or seventy-five million and security? My guess is Brock walks and rightly so. In this day and age the only color professional athletes care about is GREEN as is in show me the money.
The next hit can be his last? Or he can be a pretender as a one hit wonder? We’ve seen this before with Flynn who threw 6 TD passes in one game with Green Bay. Signed a huge contract with Seattle and was a total bust. The same for Cassel who played great for the Patriots and then signed with KC. Another bust.
Elway is right in preaching caution but Brock would be foolish not to take the best offer on the table. Elway can’t franchise him unless he signs Von Miller first. My guess is Bye-Bye Brock