San Francisco 49ers

Report: Kubiak contacted Manziel; coach says Broncos will draft QB

Published Apr. 7, 2016 2:18 p.m. ET

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Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak has spoken with Johnny Manziel about possibly joining the team, ESPN reports.

Broncos' Gary Kubiak has spoken with free-agent QB Johnny Manziel as potential fit for roster. (via @AdamSchefter) pic.twitter.com/DkR5BoNCUl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 7, 2016

However, the Broncos' level of interest isn't clear.

Kubiak reached out a month ago. But this is true RT @MikeKlis: Broncos source: Broncos have no plans to sign Manziel, has not been discussed
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 7, 2016

Manziel was released by the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason and faces possible legal issues and league discipline due to an alleged domestic violence incident with his ex-girlfriend in January.

According to ESPN, the Broncos wouldn't make any move for Manziel until they know how those issues are resolved.

Drafted 22nd overall by the Browns in 2014, Manziel's career has been plagued by underwhelming performance on the field and a series of incidents off of it. In 15 games (eight starts), he has passed for 1,675 yards and seven touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions. He also has rushed for 259 yards and a TD.

The Broncos have been linked to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in trade rumors for weeks, and they acquired QB Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles in March. After winning the Super Bowl, they lost Peyton Manning to retirement and Brock Osweiler to free agency.

Kaepernick, who lost his starting job to Blaine Gabbert last season, met with Broncos GM John Elway at his Denver home last month. But trade talks stalled when Kaepernick balked at taking a pay cut in 2017 and the 49ers declined to pay a portion of his fully guaranteed salary for the upcoming season to facilitate a deal.

While the stalemate drags on, the Broncos are preparing to select a quarterback in the upcoming draft, Kubiak said Thursday.

Kubiak said he's focused on the quarterbacks on his roster, Sanchez and 2015 seventh-round selection Trevor Siemian, while Elway and his staff study the top college passers.

"Obviously we've got some work to do. We've got to add to our group. We understand that," Kubiak said.

Asked if he felt a pressing need to add a veteran quarterback to the mix, Kubiak said, "I feel good about the two guys that we have. We'll see what happens. You know, you continue to move forward and try to get better, but I'm going to stay focused on Mark and Trevor right now and doing everything I can to get ready for this draft right now, which is extremely important."

The Broncos have the 31st pick because New England lost its first-rounder in the "Deflategate" saga, and Kubiak spoke highly of this year's crop of quarterbacks.

"It's a good group and we'll do our work on all of them," Kubiak said, "but hopefully when we come out of the draft we'll be a better football team at a lot of positions, not just there."

The Broncos acquired Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional 2017 draft pick. He's been working out in California with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and has insisted he intends to win the starting job no matter who else the Broncos bring in.

"Mark has a lot of background in our system," Kubiak said. "So I think we'll make up ground very quickly."

Kubiak also said Siemian shouldn't be dismissed as a guy fighting only to win the backup job after taking just one snap as a rookie — a kneel-down at that.

"Well, I think absolutely. Trevor's a young player who made up a lot of ground last year. Obviously, we think a lot of him," Kubiak said. "This is going to be a step for him. If a guy makes a big jump, he usually makes it from Year 1 to 2. Trevor will know what he's doing when he walks in here in April. So, it'll be up to him. We'll see. But I think our football team has a lot of confidence in him."

Speaking before a keynote address at an annual Boy Scouts breakfast at the Pepsi Center, Kubiak also said he expects Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to attend the start of offseason workouts April 18. Miller received the team's exclusive franchise tag.

Last year, Thomas was franchise tagged and missed all of the offseason workouts before agreeing to a $70 million deal on the July 15 deadline.

The Broncos used up much of the $1.62 million cap space they had remaining with the signing of free agent defensive end Jared Crick to a two-year, $4 million deal Wednesday. But they can create $9.18 million in cap space by converting Thomas' $13 million base salary next season into a signing bonus.

They can create another $8.9 million in salary cap space by dealing away or releasing left tackle Ryan Clady, who projects as an expensive backup following the free agent signings of Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson.

Reports surfaced Thursday that Kubiak called Johnny Manziel following his release last month from the Cleveland Browns amid his latest off-the-field troubles that included a domestic dispute. But a person familiar with that discussion told The Associated Press it was more of a courtesy call from one former Texas A&M quarterback to another to check up on Manziel than it was to gauge the QB's possible fit in Denver. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the conversation between Kubiak and Manziel.

Notes: The Broncos signed free agent long snapper Casey Kreiter to a one-year deal. He replaces Aaron Brewer, who was cut last month. Kreiter was a special teams captain at the University of Iowa who has played in six preseason games with the Dallas Cowboys the last two summers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.