Brock Osweiler Chooses Texans Over Broncos
DENVER (CBS4/The Sports Xchange) - The Broncos are making plans to move on without Brock Osweiler on their roster after the quarterback agreed to a deal in principle to join the Houston Texans.
Osweiler, 25, who started seven games last season and is scheduled to become a free agent on Wednesday afternoon, was offered a three-year, $45 million deal including incentives to become the starting quarterback of the Broncos with Peyton Manning retiring.
The Texans, who are looking for a new starting quarterback, apparently made a more attractive offer.
The deal leaves the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos without a starter at QB.
Texans owner Bob McNair got his wish after publicly pushing for the Texans to find stability at quarterback on the heels of a playoff loss in which 2015 starting quarterback Brian Hoyer was intercepted four times and lost a fumble.
Agent Jimmy Sexton fielded only the one known offer from the Broncos. Osweiler was a second-round pick of Denver in 2012 and started seven games, all in 2015, with Manning dealing with a foot injury.
Texans coach Bill O'Brien spent Wednesday at the pro day for the University of Wisconsin but had some familiarity with Osweiler because of joint practices and preseason games against the Broncos.
O'Brien flip-flopped quarterbacks early in 2015, benching Hoyer for Ryan Mallett only to later release Mallett and call on T.J. Yates and street free agent Brandon Weeden when Hoyer suffered a concussion. In 2014, the Texans used Ryan Fitzpatrick and Case Keenum.
It could be telling that the Broncos developed Osweiler but did not budge off their set price of $15 million per season. Vice president and general manager John Elway drafted and developed Osweiler, who roomed with Elway's son at Arizona State.
Elway has been willing to make difficult decisions in free agency before, including letting defensive end Elvis Dumervil and defensive back Champ Bailey leave town.
Osweiler had 10 touchdowns and six interceptions for the Broncos in 2015. He was sacked 23 times in just 275 dropbacks. He was 5-2 fronting a the NFL's top-ranked defense.
The Texans were 9-7 in 2015 and have a star wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, who had 111 receptions for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns despite a quarterback carousel in which five quarterbacks attempted passes in the regular season.
