The pursuit to find a long-term quarterback in Denver continues. The Broncos will acquire Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens for a third-round pick once league rules permit in March. Flacco will be the third Super Bowl MVP to start — assuming he does — for Denver, joining John Elway and Peyton Manning. Has to be some sort of nugget/record, right? Here’s the history of Denver QBs since Elway left football after the 1998 season.
17. Brian Griese
Brian Griese had the unenviable task of following John Elway as starting quarterback in Denver once the legend retired. Griese made double-digit starts in every season from 1999-2002. He did not start every game in any season. Overall, he was 26-24 with 71 TD passes against 53 picks.
16. Chris Miller
Chris Miller out of Oregon returned to the NFL in 1999 after exiting in 1995 due to concussions. He started three games in place of Brian Griese and went 2-1. Miller threw for better than 500 yards total in his starts.
15. Gus Frerotte
Gus Frerotte is not best remembered for his time in Denver. That mark would be when he gave himself a concussion in Washington. Frerotte was 4-3 in seven starts as a Bronco — the near .500 record is becoming a theme here. He played in Denver in 2000 and ’01 before moving on to four other teams in a journeyman career.
14. Steve Beuerlein
Speaking of journeymen, Steve Beuerlein concluded his journeyman journey in Denver with five starts over 2002 and ’03. Beuerlein threw more interceptions — 10 — than TD passes — 8 — during his time in the Mile High City.
13. Danny Kanell
Another journeyman who finished his career in Denver. Kanell was 0-2 in 2003. Like Chris Miller, he returned to the NFL after an extended absence, previously playing last in 2000. Kanell threw five picks against two INTs.
12. Jarious Jackson
Jarious Jackson was a Denver Bronco from 2000-03. He made one start, which came in his final season with the Orange Crush. Overall, in four seasons, Jackson threw 22 passes with 11 completions and a pick.
11. Jake Plummer
Jake Plummer spent the final four years of his career with the Broncos. He had great success in starts, going 39-15. Plummer had a solid TD-INT ratio of 71-47. Plummer was not as successful in the playoffs, going 1-3 with five TD passes against six picks.
10. Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler played three years in Denver as a top pick out of Vanderbilt. He failed to live up to the billing, going 17-20. Cutler threw 54 TD passes against 37 picks from 2006-08 before moving on to Chicago.
9. Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton spent three years in Denver during another journeyman career. It felt like much longer as he was 12-21 in 33 starts. Orton went 8-7 in 2015 and it was all downhill from there. That translates into 4-14 in his next two seasons. Ouch.
8. Chris Simms
Chris Simms joins the list of journeymen who concluded their careers in Denver. Simms started one game for the Broncos and went 5-for-17 with a pick and only 23 yards.
7. Tim Tebow
Don’t say they didn’t warn you! John Elway ignored all the doubters and selected Tim Tebow in the first round in 2010. It didn’t work out well as the Heisman winner’s flaws outweighed his talent. He tried and is a good guy but that didn’t get it done for Elway or the Broncos.
6. Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning did what John Elway wouldn’t — played for the Colts. And after a spectacular career with the Colts, Manning missed a season due to a neck injury and signed on with Denver. He won a Super Bowl for the Broncos, downing the Panthers after a debacle in the championship game against Seattle. If he were only 15 years younger when he arrived in the Mile High City.
5. Brock Osweiler
Like Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler was a long, tall quarterback who did not work out in Denver. Osweiler appeared in 27 games with 11 starts during his two tenures as a Bronco. He was 5-6 with 16 TD passes and 11 picks in Orange. Mediocre to unreliable would be the proper terms.
4. Trevor Siemian
Trevor Siemian was not envisioned as a starter — or the starter — when selected in the seventh round out of Northwestern in 2015. He understudied as a rookie before beating out the heralded Paxton Lynch in 2016. Siemian posted another mediocre record — 13-11.
3. Paxton Lynch
The 6-foot-7, 244-pound quarterback out of Memphis has large hands but they never were able to grasp the starting quarterback job Elway envisioned for him when he chose him in the first round in 2016. A huge — pardon the pun — bust.
2. Case Keenum
Case Keenum’s time as the man in Denver appears to have lasted all of one season. Keenum came over from the Vikings and did not have a great season as Denver went 6-10. Keenum threw for more than 3,800 yards but Denver lost a lot of close games. He appears to be heading the way of Vance Joseph … out.
1. Joe Flacco?
Will the former Baltimore Ravens star who was displaced by Lamar Jackson be able to lead the Broncos back to Super Bowl glory? He’s already turned 34 so it is hard to fathom Flacco is the long-term answer. In fact, there has not been an actual long-term answer since John Elway left.
John Elway
There has been no answer for John Elway to find out the quarterback who can lead the Broncos to the long-term success the current team executive did. It has to be frustrating when you know what you did and can’t get anyone to emulate your career. That said, hardly any quarterbacks were able to perform as long as strong as Elway did for the Orange Crush.
