Sean Payton chose his favorite quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bo Nix, the star of college football with Oregon, will lead the Denver Broncos after the team decided to release veteran Russell Wilson.
However, just hours before the first round took place at Detroit, many rumors sparked about a possible change of mind for the Broncos. Considering Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye wouldn’t be available at No.12, J.J. McCarthy suddenly became an option.
McCarthy was sensational leading Michigan to a national championship and his stock went up in the NFL due to the constant praise from his former head coach, Jim Harbaugh.
Now, in a very shocking statement, Payton admitted that he deliberately ‘trolled’ the Vikings after the Atlanta Falcons chose Michael Penix Jr with the No.8 overall pick.
Sean Payton ‘trolled’ Minnesota Vikings in 2024 NFL Draft
During a press conference to explain his thoughts about picking Bo Nix, Sean Payton admitted that he made some moves to deceive the Minnesota Vikings as the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was taking place.
The Broncos’ head coach revealed that his ‘plan’ was to project the idea that Denver were ready to jump on the board to recruit J.J. McCarthy. It’s important to remember they were at No.12 and the Vikings at No.11. “I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward (laughs).”
In the end, the Minnesota Vikings might have thought the Broncos were up to something as they traded a fourth and fifth round picks with the New York Jets to take the No.10 spot and ‘secure’ McCarthy.
According to Payton’s words, the Broncos never had the intention of selecting the Michigan prospect as Bo Nix was always their top player at the quarterback position, but, the Falcons’ pick at No.8 put some pressure on them. “When Atlanta took Penix, now it was like, ‘Holy cow. Do we have to go up?'”
GM George Paton also acknowledged that. “We just didn’t want to overthink it This was our guy (Bo Nix). We were going to take our guy. We could’ve moved a couple picks back and maybe got some picks, but at the end of the day, this was our guy. Let’s just take him. Let’s not overthink it. We would’ve been sick if we lost him just for a couple fifth-round picks or what have you.”
