The San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Colin Kaepernick all appear to be stalled on a potential trade, leaving the Broncos with Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian as their only two quarterbacks. They have draft picks and there will be some options, but the situation is kind of murky for now.
Is it possible Mike Glennon is an under-the-radar option that could happen in the coming weeks? ESPN's Mike Sando put together a look at NFL Draft trades that should happen, and one of them was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sending Mike Glennon to the Broncos for a fourth round pick. Here's what Sando had to say about the idea:
The Broncos will be adding to their quarterback depth chart one way or another after Brock Osweiler's departure to Houston following seven starts for Denver. Coach Gary Kubiak would ideally find someone with greater athleticism than Glennon possesses, but that should not be a deal breaker here. Denver needs another quarterback with some upside, preferably at a cap-friendly price.
Glennon's rookie deal runs through 2016 and carries a $1.5 million salary. He was a decent quarterback in a difficult situation during his 2013-14 starting tenure with Tampa Bay. That was three head coaches ago. He would be a decent quarterback in an advantageous situation if Denver acquired him ... Glennon has 29 touchdown passes with 15 interceptions in 19 career games, with an 83.7 passer rating and 49.9 QBR score. Those numbers aren't going to sell tickets, but if you're Denver, why not spend a mid-round choice for a one-year flier on a 26-year-old player who had 18 scoring passes with just six interceptions in his nine best starts, as measured by QBR? If you're Tampa Bay, why not get something in return now for a backup entering his final season with the team?
The Broncos have to add a quarterback this offseason. I suppose technically they don't have to add anything, but they are not going into the 2016 season without either drafting a quarterback or acquiring one via trade. It does not take a genius to figure that out.
Glennon has flown under the radar most of the offseason, and I am a bit surprised by that. The Bucs have Jameis Winston as their franchise quarterback. There has been little to no speculation about Glennon's future, at least as far as I have read. He does not come across as a high upside quarterback, but if I'm Denver, I would prefer rolling the dice with Glennon than with Sanchez.
Glennon is in the last year of his rookie contract, so while he is cheap, if this works out, the Broncos could end up in a similar situation, trying to figure out a long-term answer. But for purposes of building on their Super Bowl season, it seems like a deal worth making if the price is right.