With the Denver Broncos officially moving on from veteran quarterback Russell Wilson after two disappointing seasons, the storied franchise will need to address the position at some point if the team isn’t sold on Jarrett Stidham being the long-term starter in the Mile High City.
Sean Payton and company chose not to go after another veteran quarterback during this NFL offseason, as they didn’t pursue Kirk Cousins and clearly weren’t interested in bringing in Justin Fields, who was ultimately traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, the Broncos do have the luxury of drafting at No. 12 overall in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, which puts them in a position to bring in a talented young quarterback to play behind or compete with Stidham next season.
The Broncos could try to trade up in the draft to improve their chances of landing one of the better quarterback prospects, like J.J. McCarthy out of the University of Michigan, who has been rocketing up draft boards recently.
According to Dan Patrick, Payton is a fan of McCarthy and could try to go after him via The Dan Patrick Show.
“Sean Payton’s the one I’d keep an eye on,” Patrick said. “I’ve felt all along Sean Payton wants J.J. McCarthy, and he’s not going to fall to them at 12, you’re going to have to go get him. What are you going to pay to go get him?”
"Sean Payton's the one I'd keep an eye on… I've felt all along Sean Payton wants JJ McCarthy and he's not going to fall to them at 13, you're going to have to go get him. What are you going to pay to go get him?"
-DP thinks Sean Payton will make a move for a QB at the Draft pic.twitter.com/CsdoEYv4pa
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 26, 2024
There’s been a lot of speculation about what quarterbacks will be going where in the draft, with McCarthy being the one quarterback that seems to be in limbo as he could go as high as No. 2 or fall somewhere else within the first 10 picks.
It’ll be interesting to see whether the Broncos try to trade up and if McCarthy is their target.
NEXT: Insider Reveals Sean Payton's Plans At QB