Sean Payton Breaks Silence on How 'Realistic' Broncos Trade Rumors Are

The Denver Broncos have been linked to a myriad of draft trade rumors this offseason, and Sean Payton recently poured gasoline on that fire.

Mar 25, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks to media during the NFL / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

For the past few months now, Denver Broncos fans have grown accustomed to seeing prospective draft trade proposals popping up across the internet. Most credible outlets, including Mile High Huddle, are gearing up for the possibility of the Broncos maneuvering up the draft board from No. 12 overall to land a quarterback of the future.

According to head coach Sean Payton, we're not up in the night. It's a very real possibility.

“I think it’s realistic,” Payton said on Monday via The Denver Post's Ryan McFadden. “What’s hard to predict is what’s on the receiving end. We will pay close attention to it.”

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If a trade-up exists right now, it's only in potentia. But the NFL Combine and annual owners meetings in Orlando, FL, which is where Payton was when he provided the above quote, offered the Broncos plenty of opportunity to hobnob and rub elbows with general managers and executives across the league.

No doubt, exploratory conversations have taken place as a result. While there are many questions and implications surrounding the Broncos potentially trading up, it really boils down to one key: which quarterback(s) has Payton fallen in love with?

If the answer is UNC's Drake Maye or Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, there's almost no chance that either will be available at No. 12 overall. Guaranteeing Maye would require a trade-up to the No. 2 overall spot, while McCarthy isn't expected to last beyond the top 8 picks.

However, the Washington Commanders currently hold the No. 2 overall pick and are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, so it'll not only be difficult but exceedingly costly to talk them into moving back. Talk about mortgaging the future...

In McCarthy's case, it's quite convenient that the Atlanta Falcons, who currently hold No. 8 overall, are no longer in the quarterback market after paying through the nose to sign Kirk Cousins. However, the Falcons are at a crucial pivot point in the top 10, which means that pick is in high demand.

That demand will inflate the cost of trading up and with how the Minnesota Vikings have loaded up on draft capital, it'd be hard to out-bid them in any potential deal. It's also worth noting that while the New York Giants (No. 6) and Tennessee Titans (No. 7) aren't expected to target a QB, neither team has an ideal situation under center, so it's not out of the question that either team would draft one.

The Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 and the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5 are interesting, too, because both teams have a burgeoning franchise quarterback and are in position to extract a king's ransom from a desperate team looking to trade up. Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort has made it clear that his team is open for business, but in L.A., the Broncos might have a harder time getting new head coach Jim Harbaugh to take a phone call, considering the AFC West implications.

Again, that would depend on the ask and what the Broncos are willing to part with. As it stands, Denver doesn't have a 2024 second-round pick to include in any trade package, which could be an obstacle.

But for the first time in two years, the Broncos are armed with a first-round pick this year and in 2025. Plus, there's always 2026. You might wince as you read this, but if the Broncos want to get into the top 5, it might take three first-rounders. The NFL allows teams to trade up to three years' worth of draft picks.

However, if it's for the right quarterback and the Broncos were to hit on that player, it would be a price well worth paying. In the NFL, you either have a franchise quarterback and all things are possible, or you don't, and lurking in the doldrums becomes a way of life as ticket sales and revenues begin to dissipate in conjunction with fan apathy.

Bereft of a bonafide franchise quarterback, the Broncos have become well acquainted with those NFL doldrums over the past eight seasons. And while everyone in Broncos Country is a little gun shy about trading future first-rounders on the heels of the colossal Russell Wilson failure, it may be the price of admission back into NFL relevancy.

If it took three first-rounders to become a competitive force in the NFL again over the next, say, three years, would you pay it? It's a tough question to answer from the outside looking in.

Inside Dove Valley, however, I have a feeling the question is more along the lines of: what wouldn't the Broncos relinquish to finally solve the quarterback problem long-term?

Payton is uber-confident in his ability to both identify and develop a franchise quarterback. If the Walton/Penner ownership group shares Payton's confidence, it could back a bold, costly trade into the top 5.

Then again, if the quarterback Payton has fallen in love with is Oregon's Bo Nix, as many rumors have suggested, then Denver wouldn't likely have to trade up. The Broncos could even trade back into the first round and still have a great shot at landing Nix later on, though it would be a risky proposition.

As a wise man once said, all will be known in due time. The NFL draft kicks off on April 25. There's a long row left to hoe between now and then.

Stay tuned.

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