National Football League

Texans owner says Brock Osweiler left Broncos because of Elway, Peyton

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:01 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

Brock Osweiler leaving the Broncos took many by surprise. With Peyton Manning officially retiring, it would clear the way for Osweiler to be the man in Denver.

But Osweiler opted to go to Houston, accepting a four-year deal worth $72 million with $37 million guaranteed. But despite that healthy payday, Texans owner Bob McNair believes that it was more than just money that lured Osweiler from Denver.

"I guess the thing that really helped us is that he does like our offense, and Coach [Bill] O'Brien gives the quarterback a little more leeway at the line of scrimmage and all quarterbacks like that," McNair told ESPN on Monday. "I think that helped. And then of course he had played behind Peyton [Manning] and with [executive vice president of football operations/general manager] John Elway there. Their shadows were quite large. He was still going to be under that and compared to them. He has a chance to be a real hero in Houston. And we've got a good ball club so I think all those things entered into it."

There have been rumblings that money wasn't the sole factor for Osweiler's departure. He reportedly hadn't gotten over being benched in Week 17, when the team went back to Manning for the playoff run. Whatever the case, the Broncos, who currently have Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian as their only quarterbacks, will have to add more depth at the position soon.