Sean

Payton

This comes less than a month after Payton said it’s “realistic” to think the Broncos could trade up from the No. 12. The Broncos’ need for a franchise quarterback after the failed Russell Wilson trade can’t be overstated. With Jarrett Stidham the only quarterback of note on the roster, Denver needs to find a solution that offers more than what Stidham has over his career. Denver holds two top 100 picks in this year’s draft and also has its 2025 first-round pick to use as a bargaining chip. If they were to attempt to trade up, these picks could prove valuable in facilitating a deal to land what they hope will be their franchise quarterback. The only quarterback the Broncos have held a top-30 visit with is Michael Penix, but we know they also met with Bo Nix at the scouting combine.

It’s no secret that the Broncos are in need of a quarterback. After the failed Russell Wilson experiment, the Broncos are left with Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci at quarterback. Neither will inspire much hope, meaning the Broncos, who currently hold the No. 12 overall pick, could be primed for a trade-up in hopes of landing their franchise signal-caller. The asking price to move up in the draft will be high, but we haven’t heard much on what the teams holding the top three or four picks are asking for to get a deal done.

This aligns with what The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported last week when she said the team is not having a fire sale but will listen to trade offers. There’s a stark difference between shopping players and listening to trade offers, but the 3-5 Broncos should absolutely be willing to trade any players that could yield valuable draft compensation prior to the trade deadline. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy has been a popular name to keep an eye on, and was mentioned as a potential player on the move in Kyle Dvorchak’s trade deadline article. We have a little more than 24 hours to go until the deadline. We’ll see if anything of note develops over that time.

Per 9News’s Mike Klis, Payton arrived in Denver earlier this week and is working on assembling his coaching staff. The Broncos agreed to send their first-round pick, acquired from the Dolphins in a previous trade, and a future second-round selection to New Orleans in exchange for Payton’s services. Denver got back a third-round pick in the trade as well. Payton’s first order of business will be getting a new defensive coordinator. Ejiro Evero currently holds that role for Denver, but the team interviewing candidates for his job obviously means they plan to let him go in favor of someone in Payton’s circle.

The first-rounder is in 2023 via Miami and the Bradley Chubb trade. The second-rounder is a 2024 selection. The Broncos are also receiving a 2024 third-rounder from the Saints. This certainly doesn’t feel like something we’d have been surprised about when the offseason started, but Payton and the Broncos appeared to have drifted apart at some point in their talks after their initial interview. With DeMeco Ryans appearing likely to head to the Texans and Jim Harbaugh rebuffing Denver’s advances, it’s possible that they just saw Payton as their best possible candidate left. Denver’s offense should receive a big boost with Payton back, but reviving Russell Wilson after his dreadful 2022 may be Payton’s toughest task yet.

Rapoport added that the Texans have not scheduled a second interview with Payton and it “does not feel like there’s any momentum there.” Payton is also still in play for the Broncos pre Rapoport, though DeMeco Ryans is the reported favorite there. Ultimately Rapoport said that it “leans towards returning to FOX now,” which jives with what we’ve heard the past few days.

It’s described as “an issue” in Payton’s interview with the Broncos. The former Saints head coach has lost some helium towards finding a job in recent days with the Broncos reportedly going towards DeMeco Ryans as their lead candidate and the Panthers hiring Frank Reich. It’s looking more likely than ever that Payton will remain on FOX -- something he at one point before the end of the season described as a “70% chance.”

Garafolo said point-blank, “I don’t think he’s getting that Denver job.” There were initial reports that Payton had earned a second interview with the Broncos, a good sign that he was still in the running for their head coaching vacancy. However, later reports indicated nothing had been scheduled yet, and that’s where their dance currently stands. Any team looking to hire Payton needs to negotiate a trade with the Saints to get him. They then have to give Payton what will likely be a lucrative contract. With plenty of other strong candidates available this offseason, it looks like the barriers to acquiring Payton’s services have become too high.

Payton has been linked most heavily to the Broncos of late, though he’s also interviewed or accepted interviews with the Texans and Panthers. It’s a little surprising that Payton is in Arizona’s scope after the hiring of GM Monti Ossenfort seemed to portend a shift away from “ego,” as he put it in his opening presser. It’s possible that the Cardinals are just casting a wide net. The Saints will have to be satisfied in any sort of Payton deal as he’s still under contract with them, and Arizona’s No. 3 overall pick would not figure to be on the table in a straight-up deal.

Payton is reportedly seeing a $20-25 million, four-year deal. The Saints are also looking for multiple first-round picks in exchange for Payton. The draft compensation, in particular, would be tough for the Broncos to part with, given the enormous package they already paid to acquire Russell Wilson. However, Payton and the Saints asking prices are well known, and the Broncos clearly remain interested in pursuing Payton as a coaching candidate.