Sean Payton's QB Target Revealed by Insider: Broncos 'Ready to Mortgage Future'

The Denver Broncos reportedly have their quarterback minds made up. Now it's a matter of maneuvering up the board.

Dec 31, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on in the second / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Most Denver Broncos fans are sick and tired of the rumor mill. They call the cycle leading up to the NFL draft 'lying season' after all.

The Broncos have been linked to one quarterback rumor after another and with the draft now just days away, another breadcrumb has dropped courtesy of long-time draft insider Tony Pauline. Much has been made of the "bad taste" Broncos head coach Sean Payton still has from missing out on his top draft target in 2017 — Patrick Mahomes — after the Kansas City Chiefs leapfrogged 17 spots up the board to pass by the New Orleans Saints and land the Texas Tech quarterback.

"Why is that relevant for the upcoming draft? Sources tell me losing out on Mahomes has left an eternal bad taste in the mouth of Payton. Recent word inside the league is that the Broncos coach is ready to mortgage the franchise's future to move up and select a quarterback Thursday night," Pauline wrote via Sportskeeda on Saturday.

Hellbent on trading up for a quarterback, Payton is willing to use Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II as the ultimate sweetener, according to Pauline.

"Once again, there's talk the Broncos will dangle Patrick Surtain II as part of a package to trade up for a quarterback. That's something I initialy reported from the Shrine Bowl with the help of longtime friend and Broncos reporter Cecil Lammey," Pauline wrote.

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Indeed, the Surtain rumor has been a thing dating back to January when Pauline first floated it. If the Pro Bowl corner stood in the way of Payton securing the future franchise quarterback of his dreams, it might hurt, but that doesn't sound like it'd be a deal-breaker for the Broncos.

It would sting to lose such a young, dynamic corner, but as good as Surtain has been, how many playoff berths has he contributed to since arriving in 2021? Even the vaunted all-time talent of the great Von Miller wasn't enough to overcome the lack of a franchise quarterback in Denver post-Peyton Manning.

With Payton at the helm, the Broncos are smart enough to recognize that the cart is currently before the horse. It would be nice to get Payton's dream QB in this draft and still retain Surtain, a core piece to a championship roster, but if the Broncos had to choose between the two, it wouldn't be that difficult of a decision.

Sans a franchise quarterback, the Broncos will continue to be stuck in NFL purgatory. Payton knows this.

But who is the apple of Payton's eye? He's unlikely to move all the way up to No. 1, which puts USC's Caleb Williams out of reach. But if Payton could maneuver to No. 3, that would put the likes of LSU's Jayden Daniels, UNC's Drake Maye, and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy on the table, although it's probable that one of them would be gone at the No. 2 pick.

Pauline hears that Payton's target is McCarthy, Michigan's National Champion QB. If the Broncos deal with the Arizona Cardinals (No. 4) or Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5), whom Pauline describes as cornerback-needy teams, the target could indeed be McCarthy. However, there's a good chance McCarthy goes off the board at No. 4, whether the Broncos are the ones to trade up or not, as the Cardinals are really trying to trade back.

Word on the street is that the Minnesota Vikings are also in love with McCarthy, and they have significantly more ammo to move up. But one thing Denver has that Minnesota does not? PS2.

That could make all the difference to a team like the Cardinals in need of an elite shutdown corner. We'll know in due time. The NFL draft kicks off on Thursday, April 25.

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