Sean Payton says Broncos trade up scenario ‘realistic’

Get ready for some fireworks a month from now. Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos are looking to make some moves.

Sean Payton isn’t holding back this week. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network asked him how realistic it is for the Denver Broncos to be a potential trade up team in the 2024 NFL Draft and he didn’t mince words. He even mentioned which team everyone is looking at.

The full quote threw a little bit of a cold water on things, however, because anything can and will happen on that trade scenario.

“I think that’s realistic,” Payton said. “I think it’s realistic. What’s hard to predict, though, is what’s on the receiving end. I think it’s good to be Monti today at Arizona. So it’s hard to predict what that cost is and yet I certainly wouldn’t say it’s unrealistic and we’ll pay close attention to it.”

The Arizona Cardinals hold the fourth overall pick and that looks like where the J.J. McCarthy sweepstakes begins.

Payton had a lot to say about McCarthy too. They held a private throwing session with him the day after his pro day.

The cost to move up from 12 to 4 is going to be a King’s ransom, but in a league driven by the quarterback it will be worth every penny if J.J. McCarthy grows into a legit NFL franchise quarterback. Conversely, it’ll be devastating for a team trying to rebuild if he turns out to be just another quarterback.

Payton seems to know quarterback play rather well, so for now I’m all in on him going big to get the guy he wants. Where do you stand on this potential trade up scenario?