Peter King: Broncos Didn't Offer Kirk Cousins a Contract, Liked Case Keenum

The Denver Broncos were originally expected to be among the top suitors for Kirk Cousins in the 2018 free-agent market.

Apparently, that was news to the Broncos.

Peter King of The MMQB reported Monday that Denver did not even make a contract offer to Cousins, instead focusing its search on Case Keenum. The Broncos came to an agreement with Keenum on a two-year, $36 million contract in one of the earliest moves of the legal tampering period.

Cousins went on to sign a three-year, $84 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.     

The Broncos' being all-in on Keenum is a risk to say the least. Through his first five NFL seasons, Keenum had all the markings of a career backup. He'd thrown for 24 touchdowns against 20 interceptions over stops with the Houston Texans and Rams organization, and his most extended time as a starter was part of a disastrous 2016 season in Los Angeles.

In 2017, Keenum became a surprise outside MVP candidate after taking over for an injured Sam Bradford and leading the Vikings to an NFC North championship. He threw for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions and was instrumental in leading Minnesota to an NFC Championship Game appearance.

His last-second heave to Stefon Diggs gave Minnesota a divisional-round win over the New Orleans Saints and is one of the best moments in franchise history.

Still, it's fair to question whether choosing Keenum over Cousins was a prudent move for Denver. Cousins has three years of above-average production as a starter under his belt. He's the holder of nearly every single-season record in Washington franchise history and, at the least, should be an average starting quarterback for the remainder of his prime.

If Keenum regresses to his pre-2017 form, he's arguably no better than Brock Osweiler or Trevor Siemian.