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It looks like money was not the only reason why Brock Osweiler chose to leave Denver to sign a new deal with the Texans. Osweiler was seemingly very upset that he was benched in Week 17 in favor of Peyton Manning, who earlier in the season had been arguably the worst quarterback in the entire league.
The Broncos went on to win a Super Bowl without Osweiler at the helm despite the fact that Osweiler did most of the heavy lifting on offense to get Denver to the playoffs in the first place. There are of course arguments on both sides of the debate about who should have started in the postseason, but Osweiler was clearly miffed enough by the benching to want a fresh start anyway.
What QB wouldn't wanna play with 88 and 10? https://t.co/lAv28xTY4Z
— Emmanuel Sanders (@ESanders_10) March 9, 2016
Shocked I thought Brock wanted to play with us lol
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) March 9, 2016
I think this decision was more than just the money. Don't underestimate how ticked Brock was about losing his job.
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) March 9, 2016
I'm told Osweiler was "very distant" during negotiations. showed Broncos he didn't want to come back. Elway refused to play top 10 QB money.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) March 9, 2016
One issue for Brock Osweiler: This wasn't an easy season for him with the #Broncos. Difficult to deal with being benched for a SB winner.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2016
In Houston, Osweiler is now presented with a very unique challenge – can he win a Super Bowl ring that he can call entirely his own? Can he not only lead a team to the playoffs, but actually start and win in the postseason? Osweiler left Denver because they refused to give him that opportunity in 2015. With any luck, the Texans will be the team that finally lets him prove his worth.