The Russell Wilson era is over for the Denver Broncos. While Wilson is likely to find a new team in the next few weeks if not days, now the Broncos need to identify his replacement.
Jarrett Stidham, who took over for Wilson and started two games last season, is one internal option. But there’s a sense the Broncos will bring in some serious competition for the 27-year-old former fourth-round pick.
Obviously, there will be a few options available in free agency as players like Baker Mayfield, Kirk Cousins, and Jimmy Garoppolo are expected to hit the open market. Trading for a younger player like Justin Fields or Zach Wilson could also become solutions for Denver. But again, there’s a sense this team wants to solve it’s quarterback problem once and for all, through the 2024 NFL Draft, and there’s one prospect Sean Payton is reportedly growing attached to.
Related: 2024 NFL mock draft: Falcons find QB, Round 1 projections after NFL Combine
Sean Payton is reportedly all in on Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy
The Denver Broncos hold the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. For now, expectations are that Chicago, Washington, and New England won’t be able to resist the temptation to select Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels.
This leaves prospects like J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. as the only other two potential first-round quarterbacks, with Bo Nix likely looking at being a Day 2 pick, at best.
But Denver isn’t the only team that could become desperate to add a QB to their depth chart this offseason. You also have to look at teams like Atlanta (8th pick), Minnesota (11th), and Las Vegas (13th) as possible trade up candidates to lock in the best remaining QB on the draft board. Again, this means we could see four teams, and possibly more, all fighting for the chance to draft McCarthy.
In Tony Pauline’s latest NFL mock draft for Sportskeeda, the NFL insider included a golden nugget about Denver’s interest in McCarthy, all thanks to Coach Payton.
“I reported from the Shrine Bowl that head coach Sean Payton desperately wanted to move up and select one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft. I also learned at the combine that Payton fell in love with McCarthy.”
Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline on Sean Payton’s interest in J.J. McCarthy
Since the demand outweighs supply, it’s possible we’ll see McCarthy selected far before Denver is on the clock at No. 12. If so, Sean Payton might want to get in GM George Paton’s ear before it’s too late.
