When should Broncos Country lose patience with Aaron Rodgers saga?

Is there a line at which fans are done with the waiting game…or is it ‘Rodgers at all costs’ for this fan base?

Ryan Koenigsberg of DNVR joined Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright on Broncos Country Tonight this week to drill down on some nuanced aspects of the Broncos’ quarterback saga.

And the conversation brought up some great points to discuss here – with the best fans in Broncos Country.

Are Broncos fans getting tired of the Aaron Rodgers drama?

I love this question because I feel it.

Would Aaron Rodgers be the best option at QB here? Absolutely, no question. Is this drawn out drama getting old? Absolutely, no question.

It’s not that we didn’t know or shouldn’t have realized that Rodgers’ situation was never going to be resolved quickly, on our timetable or even neatly. But with the immediate hype on Draft night over the likely possibility he would become a Bronco in 2021, it was cruel and unusual punishment to get our hopes up and then string them along for weeks/months, with only stupid little hints like questions from Charles Barkley.

Is there a point Broncos say it’s too late to consider Rodgers this year?

This is an even better question because it’s easy.

No.

Koenigsberg and Allbright are with me on this. While the organization needs to say they are confident in Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater – and as Koenigsberg noted, they do seem to genuinely believe the team is a playoff contender as is – there is no question that the Broncos are automatically and infinitely better if Rodgers comes to Denver. They suddenly become a Super Bowl contender.

And although Koenigsberg notes it “would be awkward” if the Broncos go through – or mostly through – training camp and the QB competition and then bring in Rodgers near the end, it’s still a much better solution for the team.

“It would definitely be awkward but I wouldn’t wait on it,” Koenigsberg said. “I don’t even feel like I’m exaggerating if I said that if the Broncos got Rodgers on Saturday before the a game on Sunday, they’d have an infinitely better chance of winning with Rodgers at QB.”

The bottom line – if Rodgers can and will come to Denver, get him here yesterday. The team will be on board, trust me. Winning cures all.

Can the Broncos’ QB competition go on too long?

Another easy one.

Yes.

And once again, Koenigsberg and I are on the same page here. Get this over quick. I’ve actually never liked the idea of bringing in a quarterback just for competition. If the Broncos weren’t going to upgrade to an elite QB this season like Deshaun Watson or Aaron Rodgers, I was always in the camp of making Drew Lock QB1 and giving him full attention to work on what he needs to work on (plus, I’ve thought the “competition brings out the best” was nothing more than justification for bringing in another guy).

Anyway…two things can happen the longer the competition goes on. First, players may start making their choices clear, which invites division in the locker room. In fact, Jerry Jeudy has already done this with his obvious chemistry with Teddy Bridgewater. The longer the competition goes, the more players will take sides, whether they intend to or not.

Second, the guy who does win the job, will have less time to fully prepare for the season as QB1, and that is probably the worst case scenario for this team.

“I think you need to make the decision as early as possible and give the team direction,” Koenigsberg said. “Go the way you want to go and be convicted and roll with it.”

Hundred percent.

As Koenigsberg also noted, if the Broncos don’t end up getting Aaron Rodgers, the success of the team will fall on how well this offense can work. And it needs the best chance possible to work.

“If they don’t get Aaron Rodgers, they’ll have a very good defense and a very paltry offense that ends up being the difference to making the playoffs or not,” he said. “I hope that that offense could do enough, but I’m not necessarily confident that it would.”

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