The Denver Broncos have an apparent void at quarterback heading into the team’s second season under head coach Sean Payton.
Presumed starter Jarrett Stidham and backup Ben DiNucci are the lone options under center for Denver. With the Broncos making no QB moves through the first week of free agency, Payton may have to swing for the fences in the 2024 NFL draft.
Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network has Denver trading into the top 10 to select Michigan star J.J. McCarthy.
“Three QBs are off the board, and the Las Vegas Raiders are looming at 13th overall. Sean Payton takes no chances, trading up for a young QB in J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy has the requisite talent, and he’s shown he can work the middle of the field with anticipation,” Cummings wrote in his March 16 mock draft.
Cummings’ hypothetical trade scenario for the Broncos was with the Tennessee Titans:
Broncos get:
– 2024 first-round pick (No. 7 overall)
Titans get:
– 2024 first-round pick (No. 12 overall)
– 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 145 overall)
– 2025 first-round pick
– 2025 third-round pick
This would be a costly trade to select the former Wolverine for Payton and company. However, trading up for a young gunslinger with a proven track record of leading a winning culture could help cure what has ailed the Broncos since Peyton Manning’s retirement.
McCarthy Was a Proven Winner With the Michigan Wolverines
Since the Broncos won the 2016 Super Bowl, finding a solution under center to replace Manning has been a chore. Following the 2015 season, Denver has gone through 12 different quarterbacks.
McCarthy could be the answer for a team stuck in QB limbo, which would help Payton.
During his three-year run with the Wolverines, McCarthy went 27-1 as a starter while tossing 49 touchdown passes to just 11 interceptions.
He led Michigan to back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff. McCarthy guided his team to a 15-0 record in 2023, helping the school win its first national championship since the 1997 season.
In the 2024 Rose Bowl against Alabama, McCarthy completed 17-of-27 passes for 221 yards and three touchdown passes, winning Offensive Player of the Game honors for his efforts.
No matter where McCarthy may land in the NFL draft, his championship pedigree could help ease his transition to the professional game.
Russell Wilson Opens Up on His Failed 2-Year Stint With the Broncos
Regardless of whoever starts for the Broncos in 2024, the team has a ways to go before the organization can get out from under the Wilson contract debacle.
After two lackluster seasons in the Mile High City, Wilson officially joined the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 15. Wilson opened up on his two-year stint in Denver with NFL Network correspondent James Palmer.
“I think it’s all about how you look at it. In life, a lot of times when things don’t go your way, you can look at it as disappointing [or] you can look at it as growth moments,” Wilson told Palmer via a March 15 post to X. “For me, my first year [in Denver] I had my lat. I was playing on it, pushing through it. Should I have done that? You know, you compete every day. You got to do what you got to do. Everything didn’t go our way. This past year, I felt like myself again. I felt like myself again, so I can’t wait to just put on the cleats and go after it.”
Russell Wilson was asked today about his time with the #broncos:
“I think it’s all about how you look at it. In life, a lot of times when things don’t go your way, you can look at it as disappointing [or] you can look at it as growth moments. For me, my first year [in Denver] I…
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) March 15, 2024
The 12-year veteran went 11-19 through 30 starts with the Broncos from 2022-23. Whether he truly finds a fresh start with the Steelers next season will be something to monitor moving forward.
