Following a win in Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning would not confirm nor deny retirement as the next step in his career. The Denver Broncos quarterback is expected to walk away from the game following the championship win, but Manning stressed he will take time to decide. With the quarterback position now up in the air for Denver, is Brock Osweiler the future of the franchise?
Manning has yet to say it, but the Broncos are preparing to move past the quarterback in 2016. The quarterback has nothing left to prove in his successful career, but he told the media he needs to evaluate everything before making a definitive call.
"I'll take some time to reflect. I got some good advice from Tony Dungy, and he said, 'Don't make an emotional decision,' and this has been an emotional week," Manning said, via CBSSports.com. "I want to go kiss my wife and kiss my kids and I'll take some time to reflect."
Denver now switches their attention to Osweiler and his expiring contract. The backup quarterback saw success this season while filling in for Manning and general manager John Elway told the Denver Post that they intend to keep him around, but at what cost? Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting the Broncos will use a franchise tag on Von Miller. Does that mean they intend to get Osweiler signed to a long-term deal?
Determining the worth of Osweiler will not be easy for Denver which means other teams could try to pry the quarterback away from the team. According to Peter King of MMQB.com, the Cleveland Browns could have significant interest in Osweiler along with the Houston Texans. The Broncos must be careful because the quarterback market in the NFL Draft is weak. Teams could look at Osweiler and his proven success in the league as a more favorable option than Jared Goff or Paxton Lynch. With Osweiler expected to be a reasonably priced contract to acquire, teams will make a move for the quarterback.
If the Broncos are unable to retain Osweiler, where do they look for a quarterback? Sam Bradford could be an obvious choice as he enters free agency. However, he will be expensive. A trade for Colin Kaepernick or Nick Foles could be a target option. The Broncos could also hope Ryan Fitzpatrick becomes available before looking into the draft.
Denver has a lot of contracts to worry about this offseason and they cannot afford to over spend if they want to retain everyone. They will be careful with the deal they prepare for Osweiler, but in the long run the team cannot risk losing the quarterback this year.