It was a quiet Thursday evening as I sat on my couch, feet up on the coffee table.  A meaningless basketball game provided background noise as I scrolled through my phone, slowly sipping a glass of wine.

The game, as usual, provided little defense and even less entertainment value, and the phone wasn’t much better.  Stories of snowstorms, friends’ postings, and the like.

That’s when I came across a headline that was so hysterical, so laugh-out-loud funny, that it took everything I had not to spew my latest sip across the room as the liquid found its way out both nostrils.

Teams have called Broncos with Interest in Drew Lock.

My first reaction was simply that I was reading an article in The Onion.  My next was to ask the obvious question.  If we’re the team trying to find a franchise quarterback, failing to land a Matt Stafford, desperate for a Deshaun Watson, and looking to solve the quandary that’s been the Denver Broncos quarterback situation for the last five years…why are they calling us?

I understand that teams may be doing their due diligence, looking for a capable backup for, let’s say, a fifth-round draft choice in return.  But the article based on the Pat McAffee Show, and reiterated by reports in Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, and other publications suggest that teams are actively pursuing Lock as a potential, dare I say it, NFL starting quarterback!

It was astounding enough to believe that a team would be interested in taking Drew Lock, the 29^th rated quarterback in the league last year, but the headline read Teams, plural.

Who exactly were these Teams calling for Drew Lock?  One could not help but speculate.

• The AFC West – Jon Gruden and the Raiders are never happy at quarterback, but Derek Carr had 27 TDs, 9 INTs, and over 4,100 yards passing last year. Justin Herbert was named the Rookie of the Year for the Chargers, and that just leaves Pat Mahomes.  I guess the search continues.
• The AFC North – The Cleveland Browns finally have their quarterback with Baker Mayfield. Drew Lock could be a decent stopgap if Joe Burrow is slow to return from injury, but not as a threat to start. Ben Roethlisberger looks to be playing another year, and I’m thinking Lamar Jackson’s job is secure in Baltimore. I don’t think these guys were the ones calling.
• The AFC East – The Buffalo Bills are obviously set with Josh Allen, and the Dolphins just drafted Tua Taligovailoa. I guess it’s possible that the New York Jets could move on from Sam Darnold, but the consensus has them taking quarterback Zach Wilson (BYU) with the second overall pick if they do.  That leaves Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.  I guess you could fathom a scenario in which Belichick sees Lock as his next Tom Brady, but not one in which he gives up more than a seventh-round pick to find out.
• AFC South – Tennessee has Ryan Tannehill, Indianapolis just got Carson Wentz, and Jacksonville is guaranteed to take Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) with the first overall pick. Let’s imagine a dream scenario in which Tennessee trades Deshaun Watson to the Denver Broncos for Drew Lock, Tim Patrick, and a bunch of number one picks, including this year’s number 9.  The first point is that Tennessee would probably select a starting quarterback with that number 9 pick like Justin Fields (Ohio State) or Trey Lance (North Dakota State).  The second point is that Tennessee wouldn’t call us for Drew Lock.  We’d call them.
• NFC West – Arizona has Kyler Murray, the Rams just traded for Matt Stafford, and unless you think Seattle called Denver looking for a Russell Wilson for Drew Lock trade, it’s doubtful this division picked up the phone either.
• NFC North – Green Bay is obviously set for now with Aaron Rodgers, as well as the future with Jordan Love. The Vikings have Kirk Cousins under contract until 2023, and the Lions just traded for Jared Goff.  That leaves Chicago.  The Bears could have called Denver looking to ship Mitch Trubisky due to his inconsistency (67.0 CMP%, 16 TDs/8 INTs, QBR of 61.3), but I’m not sure Lock (57.3 CMP%, 16 TDs/15 INTs, QBR of 48.8) is exactly what you would call an upgrade.
• NFC East – I’m not sure Jerry Jones could get away with not paying Dak Prescott, and then replacing him with Drew Lock. The Giants have Doug Jones, and Philadelphia seems to like their second-round draft pick better than ours.  That leaves the Washington Football Team with Alex Smith, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and Taylor Heinicke, who threw for over 300 yards and rushed for 46 more in the playoffs in his only appearance.  Doubting they called either.
• NFC South – With Teddy Bridgewater struggling, it’s possible that the Carolina Panthers would be interested in Lock, but most mock drafts have the team taking quarterback Trey Lance with their first-round pick. As for the other teams, if Atlanta, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay really feel that Lock is the heir-apparent to Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady, maybe we shouldn’t take any more calls and hold on to him.

The most obvious call most likely came from Denver’s new general manager, George Paton, trying to drum up fake interest in Lock for trade value.  But unless general managers across the league accidentally butt-dialed, nobody, literally nobody, is calling about Drew Lock.

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Alan Tapley The Athletic Supporter

Alan Tapley is an educator, author, and blogger who has lived just outside of Boulder for the last twenty years.  His published work includes two novels, two children’s books, a series of cartoons in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and multiple sports related articles. His love for family and the state of Colorado is only matched by one thing, his passion for sports.  The first baseball game he ever attended was at Wrigley Field, before there were lights.  At the final Bronco game at the old Mile High, he allegedly cut out a piece of his seat in the South stands.  But regardless of being here for the Avalanche’s last Stanley Cup, the Rockies only World Series appearance, and all the Broncos’ Super Bowl Victories, his wife never fails to remind him that he wasn’t at the University of Colorado in 1990, like she was.  The year the Buffs football team won the National Championship