Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford or someone else?

That’s the question all of Broncos Country wants to know this offseason. There’s been a lot of talk about who will be the Broncos’ starting quarterback in 2021, whether it’ll be Drew Lock again or if they’ll go after one of the big quarterbacks via trade or free agency. 

Lock, 24, had his ups and downs in 2020, but especially showed growth late in the season. Still, if you can get your hands on players like Watson or Stafford, why wouldn’t you?

“The quarterback is the most important position in sports. If you don’t have stability at quarterback, you’re going to have a hard time sustaining winning,” Broncos new general manager George Paton said. “I think we all want the franchise quarterback, and that’s the number one goal is trying to draft and develop or acquire any way you can.”

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If the Broncos do decide to move onto Lock — or even if they keep him —  these are the quarterbacks that make the most sense in Denver: 

1. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

Watson, of course, should be at the top of not only the Broncos’ list, but also maybe every team’s other than the Kansas City Chiefs. It was officially reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Watson has requested a trade from the Texans and the Broncos currently have the sixth best odds to land him, according to Sports Line. 

Watson, 25, has proven he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league in his four seasons, making the Pro Bowl and throwing at least 26 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons. In 2020, while the Texans went 4-12, Watson had the best season statistically of his career, throwing for 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

The problem for the Broncos, though, is Watson will come at a steep price. According to several reports, the Texans want at least three first round picks and probably more. While the Broncos have the No. 9 pick this April, other teams — like the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins — can offer better packages with higher and multiple first round draft picks this year. It’s also been reported by the Miami Herald that Watson prefers the Jets as his destination.

With a no-trade clause in his four-year, $156,000 million contract, Watson will have final say in where he ends up and the Jets, which have the No. 2 and No. 23 picks, seem to be the favorites right now. 

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2. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

If the Broncos can’t get Watson, Stafford is probably the next best option. Stafford has also requested a trade, after spending all 12 of his NFL seasons in Detroit. Stafford will be 33 next year, meaning he isn’t a long-term solution for the Broncos like Watson would be, but is someone many believe could lead the Broncos back to the playoffs. 

In 12 seasons, Stafford has been one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the league. He currently ranks 16th all-time in passing yards (45,109) and touchdowns (282). But Stafford’s success hasn’t translated to any playoff wins, going 0-3 in the playoffs. Still, Stafford would make sense for the Broncos which currently have a relatively young offense with offensive weapons such as wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. 

Stafford’s price also won’t be as steep, as Denver would likely be able to hold onto this year’s No. 9 pick. 

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3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

Prescott might be the least likely of the bunch, but the 2021 free agent is still worth a call. Before his season-ending ankle injury this year, Prescott was playing some of the best football of his career. In only five games this season, he threw for 1,856 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions, while also rushing for three scores. 

The Cowboys seem set on keeping Prescott despite his injury, but the two sides haven’t always seen eye-to-eye as they’ve had previous contract disputes. Dallas could tag the 27-year-old again this offseason or try to negotiate a new deal. Either way, Prescott is going to be expensive for Dallas or any other team that pursues him, as he’s predicted to land one of the biggest contracts in NFL history — likely somewhere in the same range as Watson’s mega-deal before last season. 

4. A rookie

If the Broncos can land one of the big three, the draft might be their next best option. With a deep quarterback draft, it would be smart to take a chance on one of the rookies to come in and compete with Lock this offseason and maybe be the future of the franchise. 

Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields or BYU’s Zach Wilson would all likely be guys Denver would take, but they’re all expected to be gone by the ninth pick. Instead, the Broncos could be patient and wait for North Dakota State’s Trey Lance or Alabama’s Mac Jones late in the first or early in the second. It could wait even longer until the later rounds and pick up someone like Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman, Notre Dame’s Ian Book, Stanford’s Davis Mills or Texas’ Sam Ehlinger, among others. 

Bringing in a rookie quarterback is never a bad idea, especially in a quarterback draft class as deep as this one. 

5. Any other QB available 

This might be the most likely option, as acquiring Watson, Stafford or Prescott will be a tall task, and committing to a rookie QB may not be something Paton is interested in doing in his first year as GM. 

There will be quite a few other quarterbacks possibly up for grabs, such as Atlanta Falcon Matt Ryan, Los Angeles Ram Jared Goff, Chicago Bear Mitchell Trubisky, Philadelphia Eagle Carson Wentz and New York Jet Sam Darnold. Each of those players could end up back on their respective rosters, but each of their futures seem to be in question either due to free agency or potential trades. 

Bringing in one of those quarterbacks to replace Lock or compete with him could be seen as an upgrade, especially if it’s a veteran like Ryan or Goff.