Broncos Invite Decorated QB to Rookie Minicamp

Straight out of Denver's backyard.

Jan 7, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton walks on the field before / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

After going unselected in the 2024 NFL draft this past weekend, Colorado School of Mines quarterback John Matocha has been invited to the upcoming Denver Broncos rookie minicamp, the school announced Sunday.

A 57-game starter for the Mines (in which he went 50-7), Matocha threw for more than 15,000 yards, 162 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions while completing 70.1% of his pass attempts. He added 1,982 rushing yards and another 28 scores on the ground.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound signal-caller finished his collegiate career as the NCAA Division II all-time TD leader, the reigning Division II Academic All-American of the Year, and a three-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

“It’s the drive to win,” Matocha said in December of his playing style, via the Denver Gazette. “Knowing myself and the limitations I have, in order to compete, I have to give everything I have. I have to lay it on the line."

What happens next on the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Matocha will look to fight his way into a crowded Broncos QB room that now includes first-round pick Bo Nix and New York Jets castoff Zach Wilson, who was acquired via trade last week. They join Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci in what head coach Sean Payton claims to be an open competition for the Week 1 starting job.

"[Pro Football Hall of Fame Head Coach] Bill [Parcells] taught me a long time ago [to] just let them play," Payton said upon drafting Nix. "We have to maximize the reps that we have, and let them develop, and that stuff will sort itself out.”

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on X/Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!