Broncos Insider: Nathaniel Hackett's Offense 'Promises' to Get Best Out of QB Drew Lock

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that the Green Bay Packers are mulling over an offer to Aaron Rodgers that would pay him $45 million per year. Nothing rings the bell like money.

With Russell Wilson stating publicly over Super Bowl weekend his desire to remain in Seattle and win more championships, it's increasingly looking like the Denver Broncos' quarterback options will be whittled down to either drafting a quarterback or rolling with Drew Lock in a contract year.

In the wake of the Packers fixing to make Rodgers an offer he can't refuse, 9NEWS' Mike Klis hinted at the Broncos being A-okay with rolling with Lock in 2022 under the "promise" of new head coach Nathaniel Hackett being the tide that lifts the fourth-year QB's ship.

The Hackett offense promises to bring the best out of Drew Lock. #9sports https://t.co/h4FsKh5N7d
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) February 13, 2022

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We know that the Lock topic was one of the key points GM George Paton wanted feedback on from all 10 head-coaching candidates the Broncos interviewed in January. Paton, who claimed that Lock "definitely" factors into his 2022 plans (to what extent is up for debate), wanted to know what each coach's plan would be to maximize Lock's potential.

The Broncos have been, and will continue to be, linked to any and every available, or even semi-available, veteran quarterback this offseason. From Rodgers to Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Kirk Cousins, and Jimmy Garoppolo — the Broncos rumors have run the proverbial gamut and we're barely halfway through February.

However, none of the QBs mentioned above are free agents. To a man, they're all under contract with their current teams, respectively, which means that the Broncos have little control over possibly landing one.

The distinct possibility is that the teams those signal-callers currently play for will wise up and do whatever it takes to keep them around. That seems to be the posture the Packers are taking with Rodgers.

Many fans cringe at the notion of Lock starting for the Broncos in 2022 while many also would love to see how he'd look under Hackett's coaching and in his scheme. Lock has become a divisive topic in Broncos Country, and it's not all his fault.

The bottom line is, Broncos fans are tired of losing. Fans are sick of seeing coaches the Broncos had a chance to hire doing their thing in Super Bowls.

Broncos Country is tired of feeling like this team is one franchise QB away from being a title contender. There just simply isn't any more patience in the fanbase.

While Lock has flashed at times, he's also been maddeningly inconsistent, too. Could Hackett be that tide that elevates Lock finally and helps him finally establish a dynamic level of consistency?

Hackett wants to instill in his QBs a "can't stop me" mentality. I happen to believe Hackett can reach Lock but there's still a long row left to hoe before the Broncos commit to any specific QB solution. Paton will continue to knock NFL doors to see if he can talk teams into trading a proven commodity under center.

Barring that, there's the NFL draft and it's still very possible that Paton and Hackett could fall in love with a QB in the 2022 class, and bring him to Denver. However, while there is some quarterback talent in this draft class, it's believed that none represent a bonafide first-round grade.

If Paton fails to acquire a veteran, and doesn't draft a quarterback, fans will have to come to terms with Lock being the 2022 starter in the final year on his rookie contract. If that's how the Football Gods will it, there are many reasons to be optimistic that Hackett can quickly improve Lock.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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