The Denver Broncos came out of nowhere and made a huge free agency splash on Thursday as they landed coveted offensive tackle Russell Okung. The Broncos nabbed him on a 5-year deal that could average about $10 million per year.

"It's a bit intricate, but I thought it was the best deal for me moving forward," Okung said. "Denver is the place I want to be for the long haul."

Okung had a number of meetings last week with the Giants, Lions, and Steelers. The Broncos made a late push to get Okung after numerous players left for other teams in the past week or so, giving them a little extra cash to spend on some key pieces.

It was believed that Okung was deciding between the Giants and the Lions until the Broncos threw a deal at him that was by far the most money out of all the offers. Okung, who was the first pick by Pete Carroll as the Seattle Seahawks head coach, will stay in the same type of offensive scheme he's played the majority of his career.

"I'm very familiar with the scheme that they run," he said. "I've been running the zone scheme since I've been a rookie. I understand all the concepts and just everything that they have here. I hope I have something great to offer the team. Just in my understanding of the scheme and my level of play as well, too. I know these guys are a championship-caliber team, and I'm glad I could be a part of it."

This move now lets Denver explore a trade with tackle Ryan Clady after negotiations broke down as the two sides tried to restructure his lucrative deal.

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