Broncos may be asking more for Orton
May 27, 2011, 3:23 AM | Updated: 4:50 am
Kyle Orton has been a name dropped more than once for the
Arizona Cardinals’ opening at starting quarterback, but
things might not be so simple.
According to NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora, the Broncos don’t have a reason to
trade Orton, unless the price is high enough (Read: A
second round pick. Minimum) to make them rethink their
stance on the 28-year-old quarterback.
The Broncos struggled last season, going 4-12. Fans are
not happy with the team, or Orton, but the Broncos know he
is an intelligent quarterback who picks up on systems
quickly and can, given time and a touch of patience, win
some football games. Add in the fact that Tim Tebow still
needs a lot of coaching to get up to NFL-readiness, the
asking price for Orton is only going up.
His $8.5 million contract is affordable for the Cardinals
and he is in the last year of that contract, so if the
Broncos decide to keep him as a long-term option they will
most likely hurry to extend his contract further once NFL
labor negotiations conclude – if they ever do.
If the asking price for Orton ends up being a second or
possibly first round draft pick, the Cardinals will be
stuck between a rock and a Kolb place, who is believed to be available
around the same price.
