DENVER (KDVR) — On one hand, the Broncos were reportedly interested in being in the conversation about Matt Stafford — on the other, it turns out the Rams pretty much had him locked up. 

Just as the Lions and Rams were announcing the deal sending Stafford to L.A., he and his wife sat down to dinner with Rams coach Sean McVay and his fiancé in Los Cabos, Mexico.

How convenient.

Little matter to the Broncos, who weren’t about to get into a bidding war that would have cost them the very draft capital that new general manager George Paton seems to covet. Would the Broncos be players in a sweepstakes for DeShaun Watson should he come on the market?

Good question. The general consensus around the NFL puts the opening bid at three first-round picks and a player (preferably a quarterback). Even then, Watson has control over his destination. There have been multiple reports that the quarterback is intrigued by the Jets, because New York would be the ultimate place to build and profit from his “brand.”

Again, a good day for Drew Lock. When you get right down to it, Watson and Stafford were the two head turners potentially coming available. Jacoby Brissett? ($15 million) Mitch Trubisky? Sure, he has a history with Vic Fangio. Andy Dalton? Are any of these guys really better than the potential that Lock still holds? Lock seems to retain the confidence of John Elway, but the president of football operations’ future doesn’t rise and fall on the young QB — Fangio’s does. Is he willing to hitch his head-coaching future to a still shaky work in progress? 

The Broncos must improve the competition in the quarterback room, but do they need a veteran to do it? What about a young quarterback like North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, who some are comparing, physically, to Cam Newton coming out of Auburn? 

It’s an ongoing saga for the Broncos, but thus far, Lock remains in the lead for next year.