True Insider Forecasts Broncos' Chances of Signing Kirk Cousins
The Denver Broncos are on the hunt for a franchise quarterback, and while it seems the team has exhausted all the veteran options since Peyton Manning hung up his cleats in 2016, we can't rule out Sean Payton kicking the can down the road by signing another free agent.
Holding the No. 12 overall pick, most plugged-in beat writers around the Broncos expect the team to take a quarterback in the first round, if not trade up to secure one of the 'Big 3.' Count the venerable Woody Paige among that group.
In a recent column at The Denver Gazette pounding the table for the Broncos to find their next franchise quarterback the old-fashioned way — through the draft — Paige also seemed to eliminate one of the top free-agent names from contention: Kirk Cousins.
The Broncos will not pursue Kirk Cousins because that ship sailed years ago when John Elway did not bring back Mike Shanahan, but contemplated signing the quarterback fleetingly before hearing his sticker price. Cousins is old and injured and wants to finish in Minnesota.
Indeed, the Elway-led Broncos at least kicked the tires on Cousins circa 2018, following Vance Joseph's first year as head coach. It was Paige who broke the story of Mike Shanahan coming close to being rehired as head coach by Elway, though then-team president Joe Ellis reportedly shot it down.
Had the Shanahan thing happened, it would have included a QB signing, purportedly. Purportedly, Cousins would have followed the coach who drafted him in Washington to the Mile High City. Instead, Ellis' strong arm shut down the Shanahan possibility, and the Broncos pivoted to Case Keenum, while Cousins landed in Minnesota, where he's remained since.
But Cousins is about to hit free agency, coming off a season cut short by an Achilles injury. He'll turn 36 in August, which will only soften the market for the respected quarterback who is not only getting longer in the tooth but is coming off a grievous injury.
Paige says Cousins wants to return to Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings, and that's probably how it shakes out. Cousins is the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 free-agent class, even coming off an injury, joining the likes of Baker Mayfield and Gardner Minshew as the headliners.
Even at his age, a team quarterback by Cousins can count on an almost automatic 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes. But despite his consistency and prolific statistical production over the years, he's never been able to get his teams over the playoff hump, whether that was in Washington or Minnesota.
While a Cousins/Payton marriage would likely be a good fit, the Broncos are coming off a lackluster experience of going all in on a 35-plus-year-old quarterback. The Russell Wilson move blew up in Denver's face, which is a big reason why Payton is expected to look to the draft for a new starting quarterback.
Oregon's Bo Nix has been the most commonly connected 2024 quarterback to the Broncos. He'll probably be there at No. 12 overall.
But reports out of the Senior Bowl last week hinted at a potential blockbuster move coming that would see the Broncos trade up into the top-3 to secure one of the bonafide quarterbacks of the class. To wit: USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels.
Stay tuned.
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