Johnny Manziel, Josh McCown

Johnny Manziel won't be a Bronco, but Josh McCown might be.

(Joshua Gunter, Cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Denver Broncos won't be signing Johnny Manziel, but they will consider Josh McCown if they don't trade for Colin Kaepernick, league sources told cleveland.com.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Broncos coach Gary Kubiak talked to Manziel after the Browns released him, but the club has no plans to sign him, sources told cleveland.com.

Mike Klis of 9NEWS in Denver also reported Thursday that the defending Super Bowl champs will not sign Manziel.

They will, however, consider trading for McCown or signing him in the event he's released if they don't land Kaepernick, sources told cleveland.com. McCown is expendable in Cleveland now that the Browns have Robert Griffin and are set to draft a quarterback. The Browns might be able to get a late-round pick for McCown.

McCown, who went 1-7 last season, has tradeable base salaries of $4.375 million and $3.625 million over the next two years.

The Broncos signed veteran Mark Sanchez March 11, the same day the Browns released Manziel. Sanchez wants to start, but the Broncos will add to their quarterback pile.

McCown, 36, is one of a number of veterans they will consider if they don't trade for Kaepernick, who doesn't want to take a pay cut from the $11.9 million base salary he's making this season.

McCown, who finished 14th in the NFL last season with a 93.3 rating, acknowledged Wednesday that he still wants to start. He's coming off a broken collarbone, but is healthy and ready to go.

"I absolutely want to continue playing,'' he said after an off-season program practice. "My body feels good, thankfully, maybe a little different than some guys that have maybe started every single year that would be the same age. At the same time, whether you've started 10 years in a row or not, if you break a collarbone, you break a collarbone. Those are things that are kind of bad luck but you want to avoid.''

Still, he added that he's all in with the Browns until he hears otherwise. A trade would likely come on draft weekend or soon after.

"I'll come in and compete and do everything I can to help our position group to be better and let all the rest of those other things sort themselves out,'' he said. "My job is to be ready to go and help this team."

McCown, a 14-year pro, noted that it would be nice to have an idea as soon as possible if he's going to be around.

"But at the same time, this is what we sign up for,'' he said. "The club has your rights, and every club can treat you different. You don't know what they come to that decision. Sometimes the timetable doesn't marry up with what you would like, but ultimately, the club has your rights.''

He added, "I'm on this team, and I'm going to work as hard as I can for this team today. Then, if it changes, it changes."

Hue Jackson has already witnessed the leadership skills and athletic ability of McCown in his short time on the job and in the off-season program, which began last week.

"Josh McCown is a tremendous football player,'' he said. "You don't play in this league for 15 years having not been very good at what you do. He provides us with a really good quarterback, obviously a veteran presence and I am just excited to work with him.''

Like McCown, he's not looking too far ahead.

"I'm not concerned about that and having talked to Josh (about that), he isn't either,'' Jackson said. "What we are worried about is getting better each and every day when we walk in this building.''

As for Kubiak and Manziel, they're both Texas A&M alums and have established a connection over the years. After the Broncos played in Cleveland in October, the two chatted on the field after the game for a while, Klis reported. But the interest is believed to be more of a personal nature and not about bringing Manziel to Denver, even if he attends counseling and gets his life together.

Manziel is still under the investigation by a grand jury in Dallas for possible misdemeanor domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. He also faces possible suspension by the NFL under its personal conduct policy.

Manziel has hired high-powered agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him. Rosenhaus also represents two of Manziel's best friends on the Browns, Joe Haden and Josh Gordon.