I love Tim Tebow, but if I were the Broncos, I’d do the exact same thing. Peyton Manning is reportedly healthy and free agents like him just don’t hit the open market ever. He would have been a good signing for any team without a proven top 10-15 quarterback and as much as I like Tebow, the Broncos count as one of those teams.

The Broncos are getting him at very reasonable rate (19.2 million per year over 5 years) and they’ve given themselves the necessary injury protection. They certainly have other needs, but they have plenty of cap room and will be the favorites to sign some of Peyton’s old teammates like Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark, and Joseph Addai, all of whom would fill needs. There’s also a chance to decide to sacrifice the 25^th overall pick to sign Mike Wallace.

The Broncos have set themselves up as perennial favorites in the AFC West as long as Manning is healthy and playing football. It’s not every day you have the chance to do that. It’s also not every day you have the chance to sign a future Hall of Fame quarterback. The Broncos absolutely had to make this move once Manning showed interest in them.

Grade: A