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Before you skewer me in the comments, let me start by saying this is for a backup job only.
We’re all familiar with Case Keenum’s career arc that reached its peak when Denver signed him to a 2-year $36 million contract, and unfortunately for Case and the Broncos, went downhill from there.
Keenum’s career continued downward after being shipped to Washington where he was supplanted by Dwayne Haskins and bounced in and out of the lineup, appearing in 10 games last season.
What kind of contract could he get
Keenum’s salary last season was technically $7.5M, with $4M of that being paid by Denver.
Teddy Bridgewater and Ryan Tannehill were the highest paid backups in the league heading into 2019 (besides Nick Foles of course) with contracts of ~$7M each. After that, Chase Daniel and Tyrod Taylor checked in around $5M a piece.
Given that, I think Keenum could easily be had for $3-4M to come in as a backup.
Why the Broncos should attempt to sign him
The biggest reason he is on this list is his connection to Pat Shurmur. It was under Shurmur’s offense that Keenum had his breakout season in 2017.
Additionally, Denver’s QB room (after Flacco is released) is Brett Rypien, Brandon Allen, and Drew Lock.
Keenum would bring a veteran presence, starting experience, and knowledge of Shurmur’s system. Plus, he is a good guy and good locker room player, so I think he would be an asset to the QB room.
Why the Broncos shouldn’t attempt to sign him
Price always plays a factor, but the other thing would be interest on Keenum’s part of coming back to Denver after being traded away a season ago. We know Denver is not averse to bringing back spurned QBs, after Osweiler came back to the team in 2017, but I’m not sure there would be interest on Keenum’s part.
Another factor is if Keenum still wants to try and start somewhere. I’m not sure a team would view him as a starter, but he may want to go somewhere he has at least a chance to compete for the starting role, and that wouldn’t be in Denver.
Final word
On paper, this makes a lot of sense given Denver’s need for a veteran in the QB room and Keenum’s connection to Shurmur and familiarity with the offense.
However, there may be too much baggage or the wound is too fresh to make this work.
I would like to see it happen, though.