Denver Broncos: Why a Team Should Wait to Sign a Long-Term Deal with Tim Tebow

The Denver Broncos have ridden the Tim Tebow wave all the way into playoff contention. Tebow is 6-1 as a starter this year, and Tebow fanatics are clamoring for the Broncos front office to sign him to a long term deal as the Broncos starting quarterback.

But the Broncos brass still seems hesitant to make such a move. Why? Because history shows us that teams who are quick to compensate based on short-term results are often burned in the long term.

Here’s a look at five teams who are now wishing they weren’t too quick to make that decision.

Jacksonville Jaguars, Blaine Gabbert

Getting rid of veteran quarterback David Garrard and moving forward with rookie QB Blaine Gabbert was a move that ultimately cost former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio his job.

The Jaguars also reached to make the Gabbert pick, passing over other now proven first-round talent including the likes of Nick Fairley, Prince Amukamara, Anthony Costanzo and Mark Ingram.

The poor on-the-field play of the Gabbert-led Jaguars has led to empty seats at EverBank Field, which in turn has fueled rumors of a team move to Los Angeles. 

Arizona Cardinals, Kevin Kolb

Trading your Pro-Bowl caliber cornerback and a second-round pick for another team’s backup quarterback sounds ludicrous, right? That’s because it is.

That’s exactly what the Arizona Cardinals did this past offseason with the signing of Kevin Kolb.

But wait, it gets better. The Cardinals also invested monetarily into Kolb with a five-year extension worth up to $63.5 million with $21 million guaranteed.

So with Kolb making the big bucks, Cardinals fans should have been expecting Pro-Bowl numbers and a playoff berth. As a starter this season, Kolb has a 2-6 record and has eight interceptions paired with his nine touchdowns and for now, Arizona only has an outside shot at getting a wild card spot in the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel

Early in the 2008 season, Matt Cassel led the Patriots to a 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, replacing an injured Tom Brady. That season, he went 11-5 as a starter and garnered the awe of the Chiefs front office.

The Chiefs eventually committed to a six-year, $62.7 million dollar contract for the former Patriots backup to be their starting quarterback.

Cassel did take the Chiefs to the playoffs last year, but they were blown out, 30-7, at home and were unable to score after the opening quarter.

To date, the Cassel trade hasn’t been as favorable as was originally thought for the Chiefs, with Cassel going 18-22 as their starter in three seasons. 

San Diego Chargers, Philip Rivers

Who would you rather have as your starting quarterback, Drew Brees or Philip Rivers?

Going into the 2006 season, the San Diego Chargers had the luxury of having to make that decision. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to go with the young buck over a hobbled Brees.

Since then, Rivers has taken the Chargers to an AFC Championship, but Brees brought a Super Bowl Championship to the downtrodden city of New Orleans in an MVP performance.

This season, Brees is headed towards breaking numerous NFL records with the Saints just a game away from clinching the NFC South. On the other side, Rivers has floundered for the Chargers with a 5-7 record as a starter this season and 17 interceptions.

Buffalo Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick

On October 28 of this year, Harvard grad and Buffalo Bills starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick signed a six-year, $59 million dollar contract extension. Sound familiar?

At the time, the Bills were off to a hot 5-2 start to the season and added to that with a win over the Washington Redskins just two days later. But since then, the Bills are streaking again, this time with five straight losses.

The short-term success was enough to get Fitzpatrick’s contract extended, but now the Bills front office might be starting to question if Fitzpatrick is their guy and if they made the right decision.

Thoughts on the QB debate? Any additional questions or comments can be left in the comments section below.