Trevor Siemian beats out Paxton Lynch for the Broncos’ starting quarterback job.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Vance Joseph was admittedly enamored of the idea of a towering, chuck-it-ortuck-it quarterback with first-round pedigree and a lightning bolt for a right arm leading the Denver Broncos in 2017.

Even more captivating for the rookie head coach was the notion of his egghead seventh-rounder with the sneaky fastball and penchant for making the right decisions calling the signals.

So, it’s Trevor Siemian and not Paxton Lynch who will start for the Broncos.

Joseph made the announcement Monday following a five-month audition that represented the biggest position battle in the NFL this offseason.

Joseph suggested Lynch may still represent the future in Denver, but with a team that’s just 18 months removed from a championship parade and so good on defense, he had to think about today, not tomorrow. So, Siemian is his guy. Just as he was Gary Kubiak’s choice a year ago.

“It’s all about performance, not potential,” Joseph said. “And Trevor is ready to lead our football team. We’ve got two receivers that are All-Pro caliber, we’ve got a great backfield, we’ve fixed the offensive line. So, we need a guy who can operate at a high level all the time.”

The book on Lynch coming out of Memphis’ spread offense was that he needed multiple years of seasoning at the pro level, and Joseph said what’s holding Lynch back is “probably experience.”

“It’s tough to play quarterback in this league. A lot goes into it and it’s not simply about how tall you are or your arm strength, how fast you run,” Joseph said.

Siemian beat out veteran Mark Sanchez last summer then went 8-6, throwing for 3,400 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2016 despite playing three-fourths of the year with a sprained left shoulder that required offseason surgery.