Sean Payton Pumps the Brakes on Broncos Drafting a QB at No. 12 Overall

The Denver Broncos are trying to keep their options open in the draft, despite the obvious dire need at quarterback.

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

In the wake of head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton's pre-draft press conference, it feels like the Denver Broncos are already on the clock. The Broncos cloaking their intentions in the draft could be futile because even the most casual observer can see the team's burning need to draft a quarterback. 

During Thursday's presser at Dove Valley, when asked about drafting a signal-caller at No. 12 overall, Payton acknowledged how it looks from the outside but also pumped the brakes on the notion of drafting a quarterback just for the sake of drafting a quarterback.

“Do we have to draft a quarterback? You would say, ‘Man, it sure looks like we have to draft a quarterback.’ And yet, it has to be the right fit and the right one," Payton said. "If we had the tip sheets as to who everyone else was taking, it would be easier to answer that question. That’s the puzzle here.”

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The harsh reality of Denver's need for a quarterback has sent Broncos Country down a rabbit hole for several weeks now. As a consequence, Payton understands the Broncos have to do it the right way to find the perfect fit under center.

Despite the need, Payton and Paton are also wired to take the best player available, especially in the first round. Smokescreen or not, drafting a quarterback is fraught with peril, and with multiple roster holes still glaring, Paton knows he has to hedge his bet. Every scenario is on the table right now.

“I would just say if it’s a player that you think can change the landscape of your organization moving forward, like quarterback, then you do whatever it takes to get him," Paton said. "If there’s consensus in the building, a love in the building, you’re aggressive and you try to get him. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get him, but you try. So we’re open to everything. We’re wide open.”

You don't have to dig that deep this time of year to find other general managers blatantly dangling the bait. Add into the mix how doing business with a divisional rival is regarded as taboo, and potential draft-day trades become all the more complex.

However, the latest glimmer of light was provided by Los Angeles Chargers front office czar Joe Hortiz, who might be offering some encouragement to his counterpart in the Mile High City. 

"There's certainly, 'It's too good of a deal,' because of what you're getting back," The Chargers GM said via team transcripts. "They have to make it attractive for us to move away from those players. The whole, 'It's a fair trade, it's a wash,' I don't think that's a trade that we're interested in. If we're going to trade away from great players, there has to be a reason, in terms of value, for us. Certainly, there are going to be more great players in the draft, but it has to make sense to you and has to make sense to the team that is wanting to come up."

Should Denver's options to trade up for, say, Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, ultimately flame out, nobody would be surprised. The Broncos have reached a crucial fork in the road; they have to trust that they've left no stone unturned when it comes to digging into the quarterback class.

Thankfully, Paton has had a deeper talent pool of quarterbacks to draw from in this year's draft class, and not all of them will require the Broncos to sell the farm to land one.

"I do think it is a good quarterback class," Paton said. "There's seven, eight quarterbacks that we like that [we] think can play in this league one day. I'm not going to get into how we have them rated or [how many] in the top 10, but it is a good quarterback class. It's been fun getting to know them, seven or eight of them, we think we can get a quarterback early, we think [it's possible in the] mid-rounds— we think there's going to be quarterbacks throughout the draft that are interesting to us."

Doing business with the Chargers at No. 5 overall seems unlikely, despite Horitz's comments, and holding firm at the No. 12 spot holds no great fear for Paton.

"We have flexibility, but we do know at 12, if we stand pat, we're going to get a really good player," Paton said.

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