Former Broncos quarterback prospects, from Dak Prescott to Aaron Rodgers

Over eight years, for any professional organization, there are victories and defeats, headaches and knee-jerks, resounding highs and stinging lows.

The Broncos are no different, although without a playoff berth since Peyton Manning’s retirement, there are more valleys than peaks since Super Bowl 50.

Of course, a big part of that is the quarterback position. Denver didn’t solve the puzzle, no matter what type of piece they tried to make work.

Among other things, this leaves a long list of what-ifs. These questions are also not always asked in hindsight. This is not the aim of this exercise. It’s to show how important the next few days could be for head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton as they decide whether or not to draft a quarterback.

So here are five of many times over the past eight years where it could have been different for Denver. Not necessarily for better or worse – although in some cases it’s pretty obvious one or the other.

Brock Osweiler in 2015

If Denver had hired Osweiler for a modest extension before the season or perhaps while he took over for seven starts down the stretch, he might have taken the reins from Manning after the latter’s retirement and would have ensured a certain stability. Instead, the 2012 second-round pick signed a $72 million deal with Houston in the spring of 2016 when free agency began and the Broncos drafted Memphis’ Paxton Lynch 26th overall – their most recent first-round quarterback selection. Lynch only started four games in two seasons, losing the job to Trevor Siemien.

Dak Prescott in 2016

Prescott sparked intrigue across the NFL heading into the 2016 draft, but wasn’t selected until the fourth round at 135th overall by Dallas. He immediately won the starting job and all he’s done since is throw for nearly 30,000 yards and 202 touchdowns against 74 interceptions in 114 starts. The reason he’s on this list: He reflected earlier in his career on missing a flight to Denver for a pre-draft meeting and whether that dampened the Broncos’ interest in selecting him.

Josh Allen in 2018

Perhaps the simplest example of what could have been on the board. The story is well worn at this point. Allen played up I-25 in Wyoming. Not only that, but the Broncos coached in the 2018 Senior Bowl and watched Allen up close and personal for a week. Then they chose to take Bradley Chubb at #5. Allen moved to No. 7 in Buffalo and struggled as a rookie before becoming one of the best in the NFL. They have yet to break through and win a Super Bowl with Allen, but they have made the playoffs each of the last five years.

Justin Fields in 2021

The last time a draft offered this many options at quarterback was in 2021. Perhaps that should serve as a lesson, given that only Trevor Lawrence stood out from the quintet selected in the top 15. The question here isn’t so much whether the Broncos made the right choice – Pat Surtain II is already a multi-time All-Pro. Rather, the more interesting thought experiment is what Denver would have done after picking Fields. Most likely, the team wouldn’t have traded for Russell Wilson next spring, meaning they would have gotten Fields and a full complement of draft compensation for 2022 and 2023.