The Denver Broncos front office was perceived to have its back up against the wall with players like Malik Jackson, Brock Osweiler, Danny Trevathan and C.J. Anderson headed to free agency at the same time. But Jackson seems to think the team could have kept more than one of their departing players, if not all of them.
Jackson signed six-year contract worth $90 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Osweiler left for the Houston Texans on a four-year deal worth $72 million. The Broncos also lost Trevathan to the Bears and appear to be on the verge of losing Anderson to the Dolphins.
"I think the Broncos are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place," Jackson said. "They could have gotten me done, they could have got Danny done, the could have got Brock done for (next) to nothing and now we've all branched out... I don't know what they're doing. I know they let go a lot of key players but I know that defense is still going to be stout and I can't wait to see them in the season when they come here."
Osweiler's comments about his departure from Denver were far more subtle, but his experience with the team may run deeper. Osweiler reportedly turned down a three-year contract worth $75 million only to take a lower average annual salary from the Texans, but over four years.
Reports surfaced that the Broncos and Osweiler stopped negotiating after the quarterback turned down the team's offer. One report indicated Osweiler "stopped returning phone calls to coaches/some teammates past two weeks." John Elway, the Broncos' general manager, later stated publicly the team only wants to bring in players that "want to be here."
When he was introduced with his new team, Osweiler said he felt the Texans gave him the "best opportunity to be successful." He also said the timeframe for his negotiations was shorter than two weeks. Osweiler also seemed put off by the Broncos giving him a short leash when he replaced Peyton Manning at QB and seemingly prioritizing Manning over him when the season ended.
"I think he was bummed out, I don't know if he let it get to him like that because at the end of the day this is a business and that is Peyton Manning," Jackson said. "What are you going to say? I think he might've been at the time but I think he got over it."
