Report: Broncos “all in” on impending free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins

According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, two sources familiar with the Broncos free agency plans told him that quarterback Kirk Cousins has become an “all-in” target for them.

This has been widely speculated for weeks and months, but with coaches, GM’s, scouts, and NFL media members all at the Combine, truths are starting to become more and more clear. One of them appears to be the Broncos being major players for Kirk Cousins.

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway said Wednesday that the team is going to “explore all options” when it comes to filling the team’s void at quarterback – but one option has apparently risen above all others. Kirk Cousins has become an “all-in” target for the franchise when free agency kicks off March 14, two sources familiar with the Broncos’ free agency plans told Yahoo Sport

Again, this has been largely speculated and expected but confirmation on the Broncos plans is always nice. General Manager John Elway is looking for a “quick fix” and Cousins gives him exactly that. A quick fix over incumbent starter Trevor Siemian, former first-round pick Paxton Lynch, and former quarterback of the future, Brock Osweiler who all started games for the Broncos in 2017.

A Robinson states in his article, the Broncos main competition for Cousins services are the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets. The Vikings offer Cousins a team that would instantly become Super Bowl favorites while the Jets have nearly $100 million dollars of cap space available to throw at Cousins if they want. Meanwhile, the Broncos can offer him a good roster that can potentially be great again with better quarterback play, and enough money to meet his needs.

I know the cap has been a big question for many when it comes to the Broncos acquiring Cousins, but according to Robinson, they have a plan in place to make sure they have enough to sign him.

Whether the Broncos will have the salary cap capital – and sales pitch – to land Cousins remains to be seen. But sources told Yahoo Sports that the Broncos have examined scenarios to potentially open up between $40 million and $50 million in cap space for this offseason. But the key to a deal is expected to hinge on a variety of factors, including the number of years in the contract, overall guaranteed money, the team’s foundation for success and possibly the city itself.

Robinson states that the Broncos have examined scenarios that would free up anywhere between $40 and $50 million dollars in cap space. I would imagine any scenario drawn up by the Broncos includes releasing or trading cornerback Aqib Talib and running back C.J. Anderson. That alone frees up $15.5 million dollars in cap space. I’d also imagine they will ask multiple players to restructure their contracts freeing up cap space for 2018. Players like sales pitchman Von Miller, Demaryius Thomas, and Derek Wolfe come to mind here.

We already know that John Elway met with or will meet with Cousins agent during the Combine and while they’re not supposed to talk about Cousins, I’d imagine Elway will make his stance clear. That stance is that he is “all in” on acquiring quarterback Kirk Cousins.

They’re not the same player, but the last time Elway went “all in” on a free agent quarterback, it ended very nicely for both parties. Hopefully, history repeats itself this offseason and the Broncos and Elway get their franchise quarterback.