But if he's not wanted here, there's another place where he'd be a very welcome presence: Miami.
The Sun Sentinel's Mike Berardino recently conducted a poll of Dolphins fans, asking which presumably available veteran QB the squad should pursue. Contestants included Kevin Kolb, Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, Donovan McNabb, Marc Bulger, Vince Young, Matt Flynn and Orton. And out of almost 7,500 votes cast, KO was the clear winner, tallying 2,670 votes, or 35.7 percent of the total.
One possible reason for Orton's supremacy: The presence on the Dolphins squad of former Broncos receiver and controversy magnet Brandon Marshall. This past December, when Berardino asked the Beast, who was stabbed by his wife last month, about getting back together with Orton, he said, "Kyle and I hit a point in the season last year when he threw it up and I made a few plays and had a chance to put our offense and our team in good positions. For the most part, it was fun playing in that offense last year."
Bernardino cites an ESPN report suggesting that Elway "might be willing to deal Orton for third- and fifth-round draft picks," which he considers a fairly reasonable deal. In the meantime, Bleacher Report's Robert Hoffman suggests that the Dolphins "trade either Kendall Langford or Jared Odrick for Kyle Orton straight up." Hoffman points out that Miami's deep on the defensive line and Langford, a free agent in 2012, is a known run-stopper -- a genuine Broncos need. In addition, Odrick's potential is enticing, even though he missed almost all of the 2010 season due to an injured leg.
Of course, nothing is likely to happen on this front until the NFL's labor situation is sorted out -- which likely explains why Elway and company have been so cagey about throwing their support behind Tim Tebow. But once the lockout is unlocked, you can bet there'll be plenty of front office chatter between the Broncos and the Dolphins.
More from our Sports archive: "Tim Tebow draft pick good for Broncos and America, says Focus on the Family."
