Magnetic effect at work for Broncos
Recent signings, strong finish may draw top QB to Denver
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — George Paton swears that committing $90 million to wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick over the weekend wasn’t about making the Broncos an attractive landing pad for a veteran quarterback in 2022.
“No, we’re just trying to get better as a football team and win games,” the Broncos’ firstyear general manager insisted Monday.
The extensions mean the Broncos’ top four receivers — Patrick, Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler — are under contract through 2023.
And that fact could certainly help lure a veteran QB to Denver and jolt the Broncos back into relevancy like Peyton Manning did in 2012.
Another magnet? A strong finish, so that the Broncos (5-5), even if they miss the playoffs again, can show they’re on the verge of breaking out of their prolonged funk that dates to Manning’s retirement in 2016.
“Everything’s right in front of us,” Patrick said. “We have five conference games left. We win those game and we’re in the playoffs. Why would you look into the offseason when all we’ve got to do is win our conference and we’re in the playoffs?”
The top QB candidates for a change of scenery all have some heavy baggage:
Aaron Rodgers missed the entire offseason in a beef with Packers management and returned to Green Bay with a heavy hint that this would be his farewell season in Wisconsin. He led the Packers to a terrific start, but a COVID-19 infection sidelined him for a showdown against the Chiefs and revealed his deception about being vaccinated, which led to the NFL fining him and the Packers.
Although the Packers are 8-3, Rodgers, who turns 38 next month, said after the Packers’ 34-31 road loss to the Vikings on Sunday that a toe injury that prevented him from practicing very much last week was aggravated.
Deshaun Watson started asking for a trade from the Texans right after the 2020 season ended, but about two months later a flurry of sexual assault and misconduct cases during massages came to light.
Watson, 26, hasn’t been charged with a crime and has denied all wrongdoing.
Russell Wilson, who turns 33 next week, also seems ready for a second chapter to his career. But he hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his two games since rushing back from a severe injury to his middle finger on his throwing hand that required surgery and forced him to miss several games.
Power rankings
The Associated Press Pro32 NFL Power Rankings, as voted by a 12-member panel, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Monday, total points based on 32 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 32nd-place vote, and previous ranking: