Bill Polian, ESPN analyst/former GM of the Indianapolis Colts
On what the Broncos should do once they start negotiating with Brock Osweiler:
Well… Let’s assume for the moment that Coach Kubiak and John Elway have decided that Brock is the guy going forward. If that’s the case, you sit down with [Brock and] his agent and you say, “Listen… We’ll craft you a contract that pays you what an average starting QB in the NFL makes. Maybe a little bit below because he has only paid seven games. But, we’ll load it with incentives so if you perform the way you did for the seven games this past season, or five games and two halves I guess is the best way to put that. We’ll load it with incentives and we will give you another bite of the apple two years from now. Why are we doing this? Because we don’t know — necessarily — whether you are a great quarterback yet. We think you have a chance to be, you fit our offense perfectly, and for you to stay here with a great defense, an offense that suits you with great receivers, with a coach, a system, and a franchise you’re familiar with, and a great place to live and work, we think that this is a good investment for you. And in two years, if you prove that you are the guy, then we’ll do what we need to do and we will pay you accordingly.” That would be my opening gambit. I bet the agent would say, “No, No we have been here for four years… Franchise him.” So, somewhere between those two points is probably a point of agreement. My guess would be that unless the agent has something really, really firm from a team that would approximate, I’m not talking Cleveland now, that would approximate the Broncos for the ability to win and be on the national stage, or what have you, that he would be amenable to [leave]. It will be a rough negotiation and it will delve all the way until the end.
I think this is why it benefits the Broncos to wait until Peyton makes his move first. There aren’t any teams out there looking for a QB that are similar to the Broncos in the championship race which means even though there are some suitors for Brock, they aren’t in the same winning position and aren’t comparable as a great place to live (Cleveland). If the Broncos wait, they get to start at their price on March 9th instead of mid February which means they are more likely to get a deal closer to a $12 million AAV than a $15 million AAV with not as many guarantees.
NFL News
– Chargers are going to talk to TE Antonio Gates about a new deal this week.
– Police have the video of the alleged incident between Johnny Manziel and his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. Dallas police department say the investigation is ongoing.
– WR Marquis Goodwin, although didn’t perform well in the NFL thus far, has shown up performance-wise at the Millrose Games.
– The Cardinals have signed CFL pass-rusher Tristan Okpalaugo.
– RB Lamar Miller wants to be a feature back somewhere this free agency.
– A podcast on the Peyton Manning allegations hosted by Mike Florio.
– N Paul Soliai is going to be released by the Falcons on or after March 9th.
– Alabama WR Richard ‘Slottie Pippen’ Mullaney is going to make a run for the NFL.
– Montana pass rusher Tyrone Holmes impressed some scouts at the East-West Shrine Game.
– Packers are confident that RB Eddie Lacy will lose weight before his OTAs.
NFL Analysis
– Greg Gabriel breaks down LB Antonio Morrison, QB Jeff Driskel, OLB/DE Kyler Fackrell, OG Sebastian Tretola, and three defensive ends including one James Cowser who absolutely destroyed my team during the season despite being accounted for.
– Jason Fitzgerald does an offseason preview for the Detroit Lions.
– Ryan McCrystal goes over some small-school guys to watch at the combine.
– David Chao, former Chargers team doctor, says that medicine needs to catch up so they can prevent the symptoms of CTE from occurring in the first place.
Mockery
– Todd McShay releases his top 32 for the draft.
– Mike DiRocco goes over who he thinks will be in the top 5 picks of the draft and why they will be scrutinized so much.
– Matt LaPan does a three round Mock Draft.
Broncos
– Troy Renck and Mark Kiszla discuss whether Brock Osweiler can become the Denver Broncos next great QB.
– Chase Stuart investigates how often the Defensive Rookie of the Year lead his class in AV.
– Jeff Legwold states that the Broncos have the centerpiece of the defense in Von Miller.
Silliness
– A guy directing conversation between four of his televisions argue whether or not Peyton should make a quick decision regarding his future.
– Rob Gronkowski gets down with Flo Rida on a cruise.
– This is Antonio Brown on a UFC weight scale.
Preach!
“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. Others don’t have that problem.” – Franklin Roosevelt
