Sean Payton’s old draft gamesmanship is looking a lot smarter now.
Minnesota Vikings fans never needed much of a reason to dislike the Broncos head coach, and his comments around the 2024 NFL Draft only added fuel. Payton said he was “actively involved” in trying to make it look like Denver was moving up, while pre-draft buzz pointed to the Broncos’ real target being Bo Nix instead of J.J.
McCarthy. Vikings fans took that as Payton poking at their team, especially after the Saints’ 2009 NFC Championship Game win over Minnesota in the infamous “Bountygate” season.
At the time, plenty of people figured Payton’s swagger would age badly. Right now, though, McCarthy’s training camp struggles are making Payton look sharper by the day.
A recent 2-min drill for McCarthy reportedly went off the rails quickly: “PBU
PBU
False start
INT by Byron Murphy Jr.”
Former Vikings running back Adrian Peterson also weighed in on McCarthy, and while he tried to keep it measured, his words still landed heavy.
“In my eyes, based on what I’ve seen from J.J., it would definitely be a surprise. That’s not to take anything away from J.J.
I feel like he’s still a young quarterback. He’s only been around two or three years, and he was injured the first year.
But I feel like he has a lot of growing to do.
I feel like he has the potential to be an outstanding quarterback, but some of his decision-making, from my own perspective, I’m just like, ‘Ah, come on now.’”
- Former Vikings RB Adrian Peterson (via Kyle Odegaard on Twitter/X)
Cris Carter added another layer to the conversation when he said McCarthy was former Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s “guy” and not Kevin O’Connell’s. O’Connell’s response was described as a word salad, but the broader picture is hard to miss.
The Vikings’ own actions have only sharpened the scrutiny around McCarthy. The source material points to the team signing Kyler Murray after firing Adofo-Mensah this offseason, and that only makes the McCarthy pick look worse in hindsight, especially after Minnesota traded up to get him.
Meanwhile, the Bo Nix side of the equation is starting to look awfully good.
Nix is one of only three quarterbacks in league history - along with Peyton Manning and Justin Herbert - to throw for at least 3,500 yards and 25 or more passing touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons. He’s also led Denver to 24 wins over those first two years, matching Russell Wilson for the most wins by any quarterback through the first two seasons of a career.
Last season, Nix helped the Broncos earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed and piled up 11 game-winning drives, including one against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Now entering Year 3, he’s been outstanding at Broncos training camp, showing a stronger command of the offense and looking ready for another jump. He was also ranked No. 59 by his peers after being No. 64 a year ago.
It’s still early for both quarterbacks. McCarthy has time to settle in, and the story isn’t finished there.
But Denver doesn’t have to wonder about Nix anymore. The Broncos have their franchise quarterback, and the questions are already shifting toward how much money comes next.
Before either player took an NFL snap, Vikings fans were convinced McCarthy would end up the better quarterback. Two years later, that certainty looks a lot shakier.
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Sean Payton did not sound overly alarmed afterward, saying Wattenberg will be evaluated and is expected to be fine. Even so, the timing matters. Any issue with the center spot tends to ripple through the entire offense, and the Broncos will be watching closely to see whether this is just a brief camp hiccup or something that lingers as the work gets more physical. [Read more 🡒]