Report: Former Broncos QB Jeff Driskel Signs With Texans

Fans and media alike considered the future of Denver Broncos' quarterback Jeff Driskel to be fait accompli since before the 2020 season end. It was only a matter of course before Driskel would be released.

Right?

Well, new GM George Paton took his time but finally cut bait with Driskel following the NFL draft. It was somewhat curious timing because it's not like the Broncos drafted a quarterback and thus needed the roster spot Driskel was holding at the time.

Whatever the rationale behind waiting so long to cut the veteran, Driskel was jettisoned on May 3 and after a couple of weeks of languishing on the free-agent market, he signed with the Houston Texans on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Veteran QB Jeff Driskel, who spent last season with Denver, is is signing with the Texans, per his agents at @NSAFootball.

- 250k SB
- 1M Base (500k Guarantee)
- 500k 46-Man (30k/game)
- 750k PTI
150k @ 20%
300k @ 30%
300k @ 40%

Total = 1yr/2.5M
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2021

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Driskel got a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million in Houston, which was the same amount he was scheduled to earn with the Broncos in 2021. Driskel joins a Texans' quarterback room with the embattled Deshaun Watson at the top of the depth chart, along with Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Finley, and rookie Davis Mills.

Driskel landed in Denver in the spring of 2020 on a two-year deal to serve as the veteran 'fail-safe' to Drew Lock. When Lock suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in Week 2 at Pittsburgh, Driskel was thrust onto the field and initially, made a valiant effort to storm the Broncos back to nearly upsetting the Steelers.

The next week, the Broncos hosted Tom Brady and the eventual World-Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Driskel's play — much like the song Undone (The Sweater Song) by the rock band Weezer — quickly unraveled. The Bucs found the one thread to undo Driskel's sweater and it came in the form of coverage.

Driskel sunk himself as the stop-gap in Denver by being paralyzed post-snap, holding onto the ball for way too many Mississippis before taking hit after hit and sack after sack, culminating in a face-palming safety. Vic Fangio pulled the plug after that, inserting Brett Rypien for Denver's final drive of the game.

Driskel saw see the field again as a Bronco again only once (a kneel-down the next week in New York) but, unfortunately, his impact on the season wasn't over. Ahead of their Week 12 bout with the New Orleans Saints, Driskel attended an impromptu meeting with his fellow Broncos QBs unaware that he was infected with COVID-19.

Because Lock, Rypien, and Blake Bortles did not execute perfect mask discipline (though the infraction was as negligible as it gets), all three were ruled ineligible to play Week 12 as Driskel was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Instead of rescheduling the Saints bout for Tuesday, as had been done with other teams in such dire straights earlier in the season, the NFL front office strong-armed the Broncos into an unfortunate ultimatum.

Either forfeit the game or play the Saints without a quarterback.

Then-GM John Elway, never one to throw in the towel, opted for Plan Z and the Broncos played the game with undrafted rookie wideout Kendall Hinton at quarterback. It was a disaster as the Drew Bress-less Saints steamrolled the Broncos 31-3.

Hinton's Herculean effort earned him the undying respect of his teammates and coaches and a nice piece of real estate carved out in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, Driskel finished the 2020 campaign with 432 passing yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions while taking an egregious 11 sacks on just 115 offensive plays.

The Broncos opted to roll with Lock as the incumbent one last time but wisely chose to upgrade the 'fail-safe' by acquiring veteran Teddy Bridgewater via trade from Carolina. Lock and Bridgewater are set to duel for the starting job in a 50/50 rep split when training camp rolls around.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!