Denver Broncos trying to lock up priority No. 2

Priority No. 1, as it should have been for the Denver Broncos this offseason, was to re-sign OLB Von Miller. And as negotiations were going along, the Broncos were starting to run out of time so they gave Miller the franchise tag. Of course, they will continue to work on a long-term deal but that’s priority No. 1 out of the way for now.

And as we move towards free agency next week, it’s time to take care of priority No. 2, QB Brock Osweiler. That has yet to happen but it is through no fault a the team doing what they can before free agency opens. According Mike Klis of KUSA NBC Channel 9, the Broncos offered Osweiler a 3-year deal that can be worth as much as $45 million Saturday.

Rapoport said the average per year figure would put him right around No. 20 among NFL starters. But as of right now, the quarterback is still expected to test the free-agent market on March 9.

Klis added that the package includes incentives and it falls between Nick Foles’ $12.25 million and Andy Dalton’s $16 million per year. It is not yet known how much of that deal will actually be guaranteed. That’s the number that tells us just how confident the Broncos are in Osweiler’s future.

Kirk Cousins was tagged for $19.95 million and Sam Bradford signed for $36 million over two years with $22 million guaranteed. So Osweiler likely wants to see how close to the neighborhood of those contracts he can get. The Broncos will know more about what they have to give him when the unrestricted free-agent negotiating period opens Monday.

What the Broncos do know is that they’re prepared to move on without Peyton Manning.