By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos are probably going to look for a veteran quarterback this offseason. Two that make sense are Washington Redskins’ quarterback Kirk Cousins and Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Smith. Which one would be a fit in Denver?
Kirk Cousins is going to be a free agent. The last two years the Redskins used the franchise tag on Cousins. It is possible they could put it on him again. Cousins is a better quarterback than what the Broncos have on the roster. He threw for 4,093 yards and 27 touchdowns. Cousins for the most part doesn’t take risks down the field tossing it into double coverage with only 13 interceptions. In his 6-year NFL career, Cousins has 16,206 passing yards, 99 touchdowns, and 55 interceptions.
Cousins’ problem is he can’t hold onto the football. If he is pressured and hit, Cousins has the ball knocked out of his hands. This year he fumbled 6 times and in his career he has a total of 22 fumbles. Denver could land Cousins if the Redskins don’t reach a long-term deal with him or place the franchise tag again. If they do, the Redskins will have to pay him $34 million for the year or a 44% increase from his current $24 million.
The Broncos are also looking into trading for Alex Smith. Smith has been the Kansas City quarterback since 2013. This season he had 4,042 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and an impressive 5 interceptions thrown. He is careful with the football with only those 5 interceptions. Smith holds onto the ball when he is hit with 1 fumble.
If the Broncos strike a deal for Smith, he is only under contract for 1 more year with a cap hit of $20.6 million. The Broncos would be paying him to perform for 1 season. It doesn’t seem worth it unless they can agree to a long–term contract.
The Broncos have plenty of options to upgrade the quarterback position. General Manager John Elway knows in order to become a Super Bowl threat, they need better quarterback play. Time will only tell but Elway must find a way to land Kirk Cousins or Alex Smith.
Which quarterback do you think would make the Denver Broncos an improved team?
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