Tag: Sean Payton

Multiple mock drafts have Broncos drafting quarterback Bo Nix

Draft expects view Bo Nix as the most likely pick for the Broncos at No. 12. Would you be in favor Denver drafting Nix?

Curt Popejoy’s mock last month had the Denver Broncos selecting Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick.

Following the departure of Russell Wilson last month, Denver and head coach Sean Payton could look into this year’s draft to find their ideal QB. Popejoy believes Nix could be the one.

“[T]he Broncos cannot afford to pass on a quarterback. This could be a spot for them to trade back but still hope to land Bo Nix,” Popejoy wrote on Draft Wire. 

More recently, ESPN’s Field Yates also released a two-round mock with Denver landing on Nix at No. 12. 

“Nix’s accuracy and processing speed would appeal to coach Sean Payton, as he finished his college career by completing 77.4% of his passes in 2023 — an FBS single-season record,” Yates wrote on ESPN.com. “His tape was impressive to watch.”

The NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25th through the 27th. If Nix is the Broncos’ pick, then he may be the quarterback needed to run Payton’s offense and propel the team back to playoff contention.

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Oregon QB Bo Nix would love to play for Sean Payton’s Broncos

Bo Nix told RGIII that the timing elements of Sean Payton’s offense fit him well. “That’s what we did so great here at Oregon,” the QB said.

Bo Nix has projections to go from the first-round to a mid-second-round pick. However, according to Draft Wire, Nix would be the best pick for the Denver Broncos at the 12th spot.

Luckily, someone else believes Nix would be a great fit in Denver: Bo Nix himself.

Nix recently appeared on Robert Griffin III’s podcast RG3 and The Ones to discuss his preparation for the upcoming NFL draft. When asked how cool it would be to play for Denver’s head coach, Sean Payton, Nix elaborated that playing for someone who brought so much to the game could be a great match. Nix also believes he would be a good scheme fit.

“He’s known a lot for what he and Drew Brees did together,” Nix told RGIII. “It was quick game, get the ball out, timing stuff that I love to do. That’s what we did so great here at Oregon.”

Nix completed 77.8 percent of his passes in his senior season, an NCAA record. With Nix coming from a precision-based pass attack, that would fit in perfectly with Payton and how he grew New Orleans and Drew Brees to one of the NFL’s most significant pass attacks. Perhaps Payton and the front office brass will see what Nix sees.

If you want to check out the entire interview, click here.

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Yet another former Saints player joins Sean Payton’s Broncos

Yet another former Saints player is teaming up with Sean Payton on the Broncos. Calvin Throckmorton has landed in a good place to compete:

Sean Payton might be building the whole plane out of former New Orleans Saints players, or at least his entire Denver Broncos roster. The ex-Saints head coach brought in yet another ex-Saints player to compete for a roster spot — the Broncos announced on Monday that Calvin Throckmorton had signed a one-year deal with the team.

Throckmorton, a former guard the Saints signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon, was waived during roster cuts last summer and initially landed with the Carolina Panthers. They later waived him, too, and he ended the 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans. Throckmorton started most of the 2021 season at right guard (five games) or left guard (10 games) under Payton before being demoted to a backup role in 2022.

It’s possible Throckmorton could compete at center in Denver, but he’s likeliest to back up Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers at guard. He also played a lot of snaps at tackle in college, so he has options. We’ll see if he’s in the lineup when Payton and the Broncos visit New Orleans for a game at the Caesars Superdome in the fall.

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Former Panthers OL reuniting with Sean Payton in Denver

Former Panthers G Calvin Throckmorton is rejoining a familiar coach for 2024.

Some of Calvin Throckmorton’s best playing days in the NFL came under head coach Sean Payton. So, he’s looking to run it back with his old pal.

As announced on Monday, Payton and the Denver Broncos have added Throckmorton on a one-year deal. In addition to the Saints, the 27-year-old offensive lineman was also a member of the Carolina Panthers in 2023.

The Bellevue, Wash. native attended the University of Oregon from 2015 to 2019, where he earned AP Third-team All-American honors in his final season. He’d then be signed by New Orleans as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Throckmorton appeared in 31 games for the Saints between 2021 and 2022. He recorded 12 starts over that time—with 12 coming at left guard, seven at right guard and one at left tackle.

Carolina kept Throckmorton in the NFC South at the beginning of the 2023 campaign, claiming him off waivers from the Saints on Aug. 30. He went on to start four games at right guard and three at left guard before his release on Nov. 15.

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Dan Patrick hints Broncos could trade up for QB J.J. McCarthy

“I’ve felt all along Sean Payton wants J.J. McCarthy,” Dan Patrick said on his radio show. Patrick thinks the Broncos could trade up.

The Denver Broncos desperately need to address the quarterback position, but they are not scheduled to pick until 12th overall in the first round of the NFL draft. That has led to much speculation that the Broncos could trade up for a quarterback next month.

During a segment on “Dan Patrick Show” last week, Patrick hinted that he could see Denver moving up to select Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.

“Sean Payton’s the one that I would keep an eye on,” Patrick said on March 26. “I know Minnesota is expected to go up, and maybe they get Drake Maye, but I’ve felt all along Sean Payton wants J.J. McCarthy. Well, he’s not going to fall to them at [No. 12] — you’re going to have to go get him.”

Patrick’s hunch that Payton is targeting McCarthy echoes what KFAN’s Paul Allen reported last month (Allen indicated Payton is “quite enamored” with McCarthy).

The Broncos met with McCarthy at the NFL combine, attended his pro day and had a private workout with the QB prospect. Meanwhile, Payton has said trading up is a “realistic” option for Denver in the draft.

Jeff Duncan, who closely covered Payton for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, responded to Patrick’s prediction by tweeting “Dan knows…” That caption was accompanied by an on-target bullseye emoji.

Duncan also tweeted this last week: “If Sean Payton falls in love with a QB, he will go get him. Or die trying. Trust that.”

So Patrick, Duncan and Allen seem to be in agreement that the Broncos are a team to watch as the draft draws closer. It’s possible that this buzz is an elaborate smokescreen from Denver, but if the rumblings are accurate, the Broncos might be preparing to move up for a QB in April’s draft.

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Sean Payton excited for Jerry Jeudy’s new opportunity with Browns

“I’m excited for him and his opportunity,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Jerry Jeudy getting a fresh start with the Browns.

Jerry Jeudy never quite lived up to the hype after the Denver Broncos picked him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Limited by injuries and hindered by inconsistent quarterback play, Jeudy failed to post a single 1,000-yard season during his four years in Denver. So the Broncos traded him to the Cleveland Browns earlier this month in exchange for a pair of late-round draft picks.

Speaking at the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando on Monday, Denver coach Sean Payton wished the receiver well in Cleveland.

“I’m excited for him and his opportunity,” Payton said, via KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. “He and I, I think had a pretty close relationship. Obviously, he was able to get a new contract, so as coaches you want to see that for your players.”

Jeudy signed a three-year extension with the Browns worth up to $58 million. The Broncos could not afford that kind of contract, but Payton was happy to see his former receiver get paid.

Back in Denver, Marvin Mims is now poised to fill Jeudy’s old role.

“Marvin certainly will be a candidate to play more snaps because of that and there will be some competition, I’m sure,” Payton said.

And with that, the Jeudy era has come to an end for the Broncos.

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Broncos attended QB Michael Pratt’s pro day

The Broncos were in attendance at Tulane’s pro day on Tuesday to scout quarterback Michael Pratt.

The Denver Broncos are continuing to take a close look at quarterbacks leading up to the 2024 NFL draft.

The Broncos were one of five teams to send a position coach (wide receivers coach Keary Colbert) to Tulane’s pro day on Tuesday, according to Jim Nagy. Colbert was likely sent to New Orleans to work with Green Wave wide receiver Jha’Quan Jackson, but Denver is also taking a close look at Pratt.

The Broncos previously met with Pratt at the Senior Bowl (multiple times) and at the NFL combine earlier this offseason. The 6-2, 216-pound quarterback completed 60.6% of his passes for 9,611 yards with 90 touchdowns against 26 interceptions in four years (46 games) at Tulane.

Denver coach Sean Payton has some connections to the Green Wave’s coaching staff, so he should be well-informed on Pratt as a prospect. Last year, Pratt told Tulane sideline reporter Maddy Hudak that he studies film of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, which might be of note to Payton.

If the Broncos do not land one of the top QB prospects in this year’s class, Pratt could be a target for Denver in the mid-rounds. Most mock drafts have Pratt going off the board in the fourth round, where the Broncos hold pick No. 121. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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Sean Payton comments on Broncos releasing Justin Simmons

“That was difficult,” Sean Payton said of releasing Justin Simmons. “That’s the hard part of this job sometimes. It wasn’t any fun.”

Speaking at the NFL’s annual meetings in Orlando on Monday, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton had very little to say about the team’s decision to cut quarterback Russell Wilson.

“We felt it was in the best interests of our team,” Payton said of Wilson’s release. The coach had more to say about former safety Justin Simmons.

“There was a lot that went into that,” Payton said when asked about the release of Simmons, via KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Payton explained that it was a financial decision — after eating $53 million in “dead money” from the Wilson release, the team needed to save $14.5 million by cutting Simmons.

It wasn’t an easy decision.

“[I]t’s difficult especially for someone like Justin who’s really been a first-class player for the organization, someone who I know is respected highly in our league, certainly by us as coaches,” Payton said. “That was difficult. That’s the hard part of this job sometimes. It wasn’t any fun.”

After parting ways with Simmons, Denver replaced him by signing safety Brandon Jones. The Broncos now have seven safeties on the roster and their combined salary cap hits in 2024 will be less than what the team saved with Simmons’ release.

Simmons will be remembered as one of the best safeties in franchise history, but Denver had to make a business decision to stay under the salary cap.

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Sean Payton finally comments on Russell Wilson’s release

“We felt it was in the best interests of our team,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the team’s decision to release QB Russell Wilson.

The Denver Broncos announced way back on March 4 that they planned to release quarterback Russell Wilson, a move that became official on March 13.

The original announcement came three weeks ago, but it feels like it happened ages ago due to the whirlwind nature of the NFL offseason. Broncos coach Sean Payton did not publicly comment on the release until Monday when he was asked about Wilson at the NFL’s annual league meeting in Orlando.

Payton’s explanation was brief.

“We felt it was in the best interests of our team,” the coach said, via Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.

After being cut by Denver, Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth the league minimum ($1.21 million). Payton said it was a good move for the 35-year-old quarterback.

“It’s a good opportunity for Russ,’’ Payton said, via KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. “First off, they’re a playoff team, a team that wanted to make a change at quarterback and certainly he has a chance to be a starter there.”

Broncos general manager George Paton had a much more diplomatic response when asked about Wilson’s departure — and the GM accepted some blame for the failed trade that brought the QB to Denver.

“We took a shot on a quarterback who’s had a lot of success in this league,” Paton said, via Klis. “Nine pro Bowls, won the most the first 10 years in this league.”

“It wasn’t just Russ,” Paton said. “There’s a lot of contributing factors as to why we didn’t win. At the end of the day, we didn’t play good enough offense. We didn’t win enough games. I’m accountable for that. No one tried harder than Russ to make this work. Appreciate his effort, the professionalism he showed. Total pro. Wish him the best in Pittsburgh, he’s going to a good team. Just wish the best.”

Wilson is set to return to Denver this fall because the Steelers are among the Broncos’ 2024 opponents. That game is shaping up to be must-watch TV.

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J.J. McCarthy had a private workout with Broncos ahead of NFL draft

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy spent 4-5 hours with the Broncos last weekend at a private workout, coach Sean Payton said.

Either Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton doesn’t mind tipping the team’s hand, or he’s putting out serious smoke screens ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

On the same day that he said trading up for a quarterback is a “realistic” option for the Broncos, Payton also revealed (unprompted) that the team had a private workout with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy last weekend.

“I wasn’t at J.J.’s pro day, but we had a private the next day,” Payton said at the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando on Monday, via Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com. “We sent him a bunch of information [and] spent four or five hours with him. And [we] made him throw all over again. I think it’s all part of the process.”

Broncos general manager George Paton was not as forthcoming about the team’s pre-draft visits. He laughed when asked about McCarthy’s private workout, according to the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel.

“I don’t want to get into the workouts guys,” Paton said, via Gabriel. “I’m glad Sean told everyone. But he’s a very nice young man. We’ve done private workouts with other players at other positions. We had a good visit.”

Paton attended McCarthy’s pro day last week and Denver’s staff also met with him at the NFL combine. Last month, KFAN’s Paul Allen reported that Payton is “quite enamored” with McCarthy.

The Broncos are not scheduled to pick until 12th overall, so if they want to draft McCarthy, they will likely need to trade up. Our most recent seven-round mock draft for Denver has the team moving up to pick No. 4 to select him. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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