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According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Houston Texans are considered a legitimate contender to sign free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler away from the Denver Broncos.
Texans are legitimate contender to sign Brock Osweilerhttps://t.co/M5EOqhpWh5
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) March 7, 2016
The rumors connecting Osweiler to the Texans have been heating up the past 24 hours.
First it was reported that the Texans would be contacting Osweiler today when the legal tampering period opens up. Then it was reported that Osweiler believes he is a better fit in Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien's offensive system than Gary Kubiak's offensive system.
The Texans are searching for a quarterback after going with quarterback Brian Hoyer this past season. As we all saw, Hoyer had an awful game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round and they will be looking for a replacement.
Osweiler is the best available quarterback on the free agent market. He is still young, and a coach like Bill O'Brien probably sees a lot of untapped potential in Osweiler.
Now with this all said, Rapoport mentioned that the Broncos still view Osweiler as their starter in 2016, but the Texans are viewed as legitimate contenders for him.
Rapoport says the Broncos have a three-year deal worth up to $45 million dollars. This is different than the previous report saying the deal was worth $45 million, it's more incentive based. Rapoport added that the Broncos would have to "sweeten their offer" to keep Osweiler in Denver.
This is where I think things get very interesting. I'm willing to bet that the deal on the table is the last offer Elway is giving Osweiler. In the past, he has shown to draw a line in the sand and not budge from that offer. Also, a free agent that Elway has allowed to test the open market has never returned to Denver, so there is that.
If the Broncos and Texans get into a bidding war for Brock Osweiler, I think we'll see Brock and the Houston Texans head to Mile High to take on the Broncos in the season-opening game.