By Jordan Long
Quarterback Brock Osweiler decided to retire from the NFL after 7 years. He was a free agent this season and there wasn’t a team who picked him up. Osweiler leaves the game on his own terms.
Osweiler was drafted by the Denver Broncos 57th overall in the 2012 NFL draft. Denver had a starting quarterback in Peyton Manning but this gave Osweiler a chance to learn from one of the top quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. Osweiler didn’t play much in his first 3 seasons. He only saw the field when the Broncos were way ahead of opponents.
In 2015, Manning was forced to miss 6 games due to plantar fasciitis. Osweiler started those games. Denver went 5-2 with Osweiler, including an overtime win over the New England Patriots in week 12, 30-24. That victory gave the Broncos the tiebreaker over the Patriots and earned them home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Osweiler lost his starting job in week 17 of 2015. The Broncos faced the San Diego Chargers. Denver needed a win to be the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Osweiler didn’t play awful, going 14 of 22 for 232 yards and 1 touchdown but was picked off twice. With 8:18 left in the 3rd quarter and Denver trailing 13-7, Denver went back to Peyton Manning who led them to a 27-20 victory earning the #1 seed. Denver went on to win Super Bowl 50.
At the end of the 2015 season, Peyton Manning retired. The Broncos were hoping Osweiler would be their next starting quarterback. Osweiler was a free agent and decided to sign with the Houston Texans. His contract was 4 years, worth $72 million. Of that $72 million, $37 million was guaranteed.
Osweiler struggled in Houston. He went 8-6 with 2,957 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. Osweiler kept throwing the ball into coverage and those were often interceptions for the defense, tossing 16 of them. It wasn’t entirely his fault since his line wasn’t protecting him well and he was sacked 27 times.
The Texans saw enough and traded him to Cleveland. The Browns cut him on September 1st, 2017 before the regular seasons started. This allowed Osweiler to be a free agent.
It took a while in 2017 for a team to call him. Denver brought him back and he started 4 games but went 0-4. Denver let him go at the end of the year. In 2018 he went to Miami but his record was 2-3.
This year there weren’t many teams who were interested in him, even as a veteran backup quarterback. Osweiler decided it was time to leave the NFL. According to USAtoday.com, Osweiler said, “I’m extremely grateful for the time I did receive playing in the National Football League. The experiences I did have, people I did meet, relationships I did make — I’m not going to dwell on the things that didn’t happen in my career.”
Osweiler leaves the NFL with an average career record of 15-15. He passed for 7,418 yards and 37 touchdowns. His problem was turnovers with 31 interceptions and 7 fumbles. Osweiler wasn’t able to develop as an NFL quarterback because he kept switching teams. That didn’t allow him to learn an offense. He won a Super Bowl ring as a backup quarterback which every player yearns for. The writing was on the wall and he made the best decision possible for him.
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