Despite being the assumed heir apparent to take over the now retired Peyton Manning’s spot as the Denver Broncos quarterback, Brock Osweiler has jumped the Bronco ship and signed on with the Houston Texans.
ESPN reports that after three seasons with Denver, Osweiler has agreed to a four-year, $73 million deal with the Texans. The QB is reportedly to get a guaranteed $37 million with the deal.
The announcement of Osweiler’s deal comes only a few days after Peyton Manning formally retired from Denver. It leaves the Broncos in a vulnerable position in which they might pursue Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chase Daniel, Robert Griffin III, or some other free agent signal caller, or attempt to trade for Colin Kaepernick or another proven starter who has since fallen from grace with his team.
Osweiler performed well in relief for an aging and injured Peyton Manning during the last half of the 2015 regular season by going 5-2 in starts. He led the Broncos to a comeback win over the New England Patriots and a victory over the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals. Osweiler finished the regular season boasting 10 touchdown passes to six interceptions and a QB rating of 86.4.
By signing the week 11, 2015 AFC Offensive Player of the Week the Texans hope to put an end to their troubled quarterback situation. The team has run through its throwers with alarming speed, finding the since-released Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer both with less than stellar seasons.
The Broncos reportedly worked hard to re-sign Osweiler with the negotiations kicking into high gear after Super Bowl 50, but the player apparently didn’t bite.
It was also announced that Houston is picking up Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller and former Kansas City Chiefs guard/tackle Jeff Allen.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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