Broncos considered the top landing spot for quarterback Kirk Cousins

If you weren’t paying attention last night, the Kansas City Chiefs traded veteran quarterback Alex Smith to Washington for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. This trade obviously will allow Kirk Cousins to hit the free agent market and probably signing a mega-deal with whomever he decided to sign with.

Well, the guessing game on where Cousins will land was already going on, but with some more clarity on the situation, it really kicked into gear last night. NFL Network’s Chris Wesseling took a stab at it and named the Denver Broncos the top landing spot for Kirk Cousins.

He states that Cousins has already made enough money the past few seasons that he can prioritize roster strength over whoever pays him the most. Add in General Manager luring Cousins to Denver like he did with Peyton Manning before. All this makes the Broncos his number one landing spot for Kirk Cousins.

1. Denver Broncos: After pocketing more than $40 million via the franchise tag, Cousins can afford to prioritize stability and roster strength over maximum dollar value. The Broncos have been one of the most respected and reliable organizations under the determined direction of John Elway, who is resolved to fixing his quarterback quandary this offseason. The veterans on Denver’s championship-caliber defense are avowed Cousins fans, as is head coach Vance Joseph. If lightning strikes twice -- allowing Elway to land his white whale for the second time in six years -- the Broncos would immediately set their sights on regaining AFC West supremacy.

The Broncos are reportedly going to make a “huge run” at Kirk Cousins this offseason and some even think “It seems it’s more likely than not that Kirk plays for the Broncos next year.” so this lines up with the previous reports.

Wesseling lists the New York Jets second, the Arizona Cardinals third, Cleveland Browns fourth, the Buffalo Bills fifth, and the Jacksonville Jaguars sixth.

I’d assume the Jets will be the Broncos biggest competition considering the amount of cap space they have, but their roster has plenty of holes as well so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. The Browns do not seem very interested in Cousins and prioritized trading for Smith before he was sent to Washington. The Bills are a dark-horse but unlikely, and the Jags seem stuck with Blake Bortles for one more year.

We’ll likely find out more about this situation in the coming days and weeks, but our Broncos seem like the early favorites to sign Kirk Cousins.