Texans Interested in QB Brock Osweiler [UPDATE: Reached Agreement]

[Keith]

Benjamin Allbright ‏@AllbrightNFL 1:28 PM - 3 Mar 2016
Was told last weekend, told again today, the #Texans have "significant interest" in Brock Osweiler

The Texans have cleared more than $40 million in cap room. They have built themselves a warchest to pursue just about anyone they want that hits the open market. There is a QB-sized hole in their salary cap.

Bill O'Brien was on ESPN the morning after the Super Bowl (Mike & Mike?) and emphatically hoped that Peyton Manning would not retire. With Manning still not announcing his intentions, O'Brien may be getting his wish.

Either Manning hits the open market and becomes a tutor to a likely first round draft pick, or Osweiler, no longer under the control of the Broncos following their tagging of Von Miller, hits free agency available to the highest bidder.

[popanot]

Man, I hope not. I didn't see anything out of Osweiler that merits a big contract. The only way I'd do it is if we can sign him to a deal that has an early and cheap escape clause if he doesn't work out. I'd rather target someone like Lamar Miller to solve the RB issue, possibly sign an OL or WR (maybe Rishard Mathews) and then sell the farm if need be to move up for a QB.

PFF listed Osweiler as one of their potential "Free Agents about to be Overpaid":

6. Brock Osweiler, QB, Broncos

The thirst for a quarterback in the NFL today is real. The Redskins tagging Kirk Cousins is really all you need to know about the desperation teams feel. If Peyton Manning does indeed retire, the Broncos will be experiencing a similar squeeze. This could very well lead them to splurge on their former second-round pick, whom they have spent four years developing. Outside of the Patriots game though, Osweiler (71.3) has shown little indication that he’s a quarterback that should be starting in this league. His 26.7 deep-accuracy percentage was second-worst in the NFL.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blo...-get-overpaid/

[HPF Bob]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...s-agent-today/

Texans are planning to lure Osweiler away while the Broncos are having their farewell ceremony for Peyton Manning. Denver made a 3-yr, $45 million bid to Ossie but it is not known how much of that is incentives and how much of it is guaranteed.

Or maybe Ossie is just tired of being upstaged by HOF quarterbacks every time he grabs his helmet.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Or maybe Ossie is just tired of being upstaged by HOF quarterbacks every time he grabs his helmet.

If he comes to Houston I guarantee he will not have that problem.

I would hate for the Texans to spend a ton of money on that guy.

[Keith]

Pursuing Osweiler gives us a little indication that the team is not buying Tom Savage as a possible starter. Otherwise you make Savage battle a rookie QB in camp to start Week 1.

O'Brien refuses to let a rookie QB start if he can avoid it. If you forget the pains of the lack of production at the position over the past two years of journeymen, then I can see the argument that he already has a championship-caliber defense and just needs a game manager to keep the team at a playoff level.

Osweiler being under center when the Broncos beat the Patriots in the regular season is about to make him a lot of money from some team. That said, $15M/yr is below average still for a starting QB in the league.

[WMH]

You guys need to remember, we're in lying season. No one but the team and the player knows the truth behind any of these "reports."

If he shows up at a Houston airport, then I'll believe there is interest. Till then, I'm going to assume the agents are trying to create a market.

[HPF Bob]

Not mine but I just had to share this:

The Saga of Brock Osweiler: A High-School Romance:


You take your girl to the big dance. You're not really sure about her. She's asked you before whether you're ready to "get serious and plan our future together" but you always put her off. Not really ready to commit. She's a nice enough girl, but you've got some questions about her. She might have a few short-comings. Do I really want to commit to her long-term? Am I ready for that? And is she really long-term relationship material?

But, then you get to the dance and you look around and GOd damn! There's some ugly looking girls standing against the wall! One of them's got a hair lip, one's got a raging personality defect and just punched a guy in the face who asked her to dance, and the rest are in various stages of short and lumpy.

And you think: "Damn! I better keep the girl I'm with! She might not turn out to be great, but compared with what's out there she's looking pretty good right now!"

But, there's a bunch of horny single guys at the dance, all eyeing your date. And then this rich guy from Texas and another one from L.A. and another one from Cleveland come over and start sweet talking your girl and you realize that, forget about finding a better option, you're going to have a fight on your hands just to keep the girl you've already got!

And you turn to her and say "you and me baby! I think you're awesome! Let's go steady!"

But she says: "not so fast! I asked you three months ago and you never gave me an answer. You made me wait all the way to the big dance, and now I'm going to explore my options! Rick Smith here from Houston says he's going to take me on an all expense trip to the Cayman Islands and buy me a car! I just might go with him!"

And what do you say? "I was planning to tell you tonight! You and I are going to the Caymans! All expenses paid. What do you say?"

And she says: "Well, what about the car? Is it a nice car? Cause Rick here promised me a Mercedes coupe!"

Moral of the story? If you aren't willing to lock her up early. If you wait until the big dance, it isn't about how great your girl is any more. The real question is going to be: "what are the alternatives?" Are they really any better? Or are you just going to wind up taking one of the hair-lip girls on that all expenses paid trip to the Caymans?

[Keith]

Texans have reached an agreement with Osweiler.

Time to see the terms next...

[chuck]

If I try hard enough I can find a way to defend this. He's not a rookie and at the very least you know he can play some. A couple of the rookies coming out this year will probably be very good in a few years and a couple will flame out entirely. The Texans minimize the risk of a total flameout in exchange for giving the guy veteran money. I might not have done things this way but as I said I can find a way to defend it.

Also, it gives the team the freedom to go BPA at every point in the draft. And since it looks like they're going to come away with Miller, too, they have tons of options.

[Keith]

The Texans have a championship defense NOW. So I think Osweiler is totally defendable as a signing vs. put all your eggs in what might be the 3rd or 4th QB drafted if the Texans sit at #22 overall.

This is a move that recognizes the Texans are not willing to waste any more of J.J. Watt's career with the Hoyer's, Fitzy Cent's, and Mallett's of the league.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Keith

The Texans have a championship defense NOW. So I think Osweiler is totally defendable as a signing vs. put all your eggs in what might be the 3rd or 4th QB drafted if the Texans sit at #22 overall.

Those are also my thoughts because of courses there's unknowns and uncertainty with Osweiler but not nearly as much as with the best QB we could have got in this years Draft.
They just announced that Brooks signed for 40m over 5 years with Philly.
No doubt that the OLine is now the top priority in the Draft.

[HPF Bob]

Denver media reporting Osweiler deal is 4-yr, $72 million with $37 million guaranteed. Broncos would not go higher then $16mil/yr with $30 million guaranteed.

[WMH]

Originally Posted by WMH

You guys need to remember, we're in lying season. No one but the team and the player knows the truth behind any of these "reports."

If he shows up at a Houston airport, then I'll believe there is interest. Till then, I'm going to assume the agents are trying to create a market.

I stand corrected. Guess they really were interested....

The clock is now ticking on B'OB.

[HPF Bob]

One comment:

"Manning shadow, Elway town, he's going to get his chance to be the man in HOU."

[Arky]

Well. We now have a coach and a QB with the initials "BO". I would not stoop to make a bush league joke here...... nope, not a sniff...

Goodness, this changes a lot of things.... Texans must've been planning it for a while what with the loss of the two linemen. Curious to see if the Denver/Houston connection remains amiable from now on....

One good thing.... Hoyer's gone.

[barrett]

I don't like who we picked or what we paid him. I do like that BOB has finally picked his QB and we have a chance to do something other than spin our wheels. Hopefully he is not Matt Flynn. I really want to be wrong.

[WMH]

Appears to be structured like a 2 year deal.

From Aaron Wilson :
Brock Osweiler: $72M, $37M gtd, $12M signing bonus, salaries $4M, $16M, $18M, $13M
Brock Osweiler has $5 million roster bonus on March 16, $4M base salary in 2016 fully guaranteed along with $16M 2017 base
LaConfora:
Brock Osweiler's deal with Texans includes all the guar $ in 1st 2yrs. $21M in '16 ($17M in bonus and $4M salary) and a $16M guar base in 17

[Keith]

AaronWilson_NFL
Brock Osweiler: $72M, $37M gtd, $12M signing bonus, salaries $4M, $16M, $18M, $13M

https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/...49976726568960

Brock Osweiler has $5 million roster bonus on March 16, $4M base salary in 2016 fully guaranteed along with $16M 2017 base

All of the guaranteed money is in the first two years, so the Texans can pull the ripcord after 2017 if necessary.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by barrett

I don't like who we picked or what we paid him. I do like that BOB has finally picked his QB and we have a chance to do something other than spin our wheels. Hopefully he is not Matt Flynn. I really want to be wrong.

We paid approximately a 20 % premium over what the Broncos "could" pay him and they might have been willing to go higher had they had the cap to
do it. I got NP with that and now we have all of our Draft picks in place instead of using them on a bigger unknown QB in the Draft - it's what's known as having your cake and eating it too.
And due to unusually large cojones Rick Smith may have difficulty getting thru his office door this morning after the deal he pulled over John Elway, but as mentioned Smith had the ammo(cap) to do the deal. But it's a big deal snatching this young NFL vet QB away from Elway and the defending SB champs.

[barrett]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

We paid approximately a 20 % premium over what the Broncos "could" pay him and they might have been willing to go higher had they had the cap to
do it. I got NP with that and now we have all of our Draft picks in place instead of using them on a bigger unknown QB in the Draft - it's what's known as having your cake and eating it too.
And due to unusually large cojones Rick Smith may have difficulty getting thru his office door this morning after the deal he pulled over John Elway, but as mentioned Smith had the ammo(cap) to do the deal. But it's a big deal snatching this young NFL vet QB away from Elway and the defending SB champs.

We didn't snatch him away. He was Denver's if they wanted him. They chose not to offer him market value. We got him by paying more, not by sweet talking him away. And consider that Denver allowed him to walk without another QB on the roster.

Either way we are paying big time proven QB money for a guy who has less starting time than last year's rookies. Paying a guy with almost no experience or track record like a guy who has experience and track record is not called having your cake and eating it too.

QB A - 62%, 246 ypg, 1.3 TDpg, .8 INTpg, 86.4 rating
QB B - 61%, 246 ypg, 1.7 TDpg, .6 INTpg, 91.4 rating

Can you guess which of those QBs is Brian Hoyer and which of those QBs is getting paid $18 million per year?