Denver Broncos

Money reportedly wasn't the sole reason Brock Osweiler jilted the Broncos

Published Mar. 10, 2016 4:54 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

The Houston Texans spent big bucks to lure Brock Osweiler from the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. Osweiler reportedly got $72 million over four years, a number many believed the Broncos were unwilling to pay.

But it appears Denver's chances for retaining Osweiler were all but lost even before the negotiations started. Yahoo Sports is reporting that Osweiler never really got over being benched in Week 17, when the team opted to go back to Peyton Manning for the stretch run.

The Broncos are now scrambling to find a QB, but if they stuck with Osweiler last year they might not have won the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy. Broncos exec John Elway might not be too happy with Osweiler at this moment, but he now must move on and get a new signal-caller in Denver before the market dries up.

It is pretty interesting that a quarterback who had seven career starts is holding grudges. Yes, Osweiler can go where he'd like, but it wasn't like he was benched for a journeyman. It was all but certain that this was Manning's last go-around and that it would be Osweiler's time in 2016. But that won't happen in Denver.