Rumor: Broncos HC Sean Payton 'Quite Enamored' with J.J. McCarthy
Anyone who has sat down at the poker table knows success hinges on your ability to read other players' intentions. When it comes to high-stakes NFL draft-day action, the ante gets raised considerably. Consequently, the bluffs and counter bluffs deployed by league shot-callers will percolate in their complexity over the weeks to come.
Traditional draft pitfalls are as legendary as they are plentiful, but when close ties have already been established with an NFL general manager, ears are guaranteed to perk.
Paul Allen is the longtime broadcaster for the Minnesota Vikings and happens to be on pretty friendly terms with Denver Broncos front office czar George Paton. Allen's inside information might indeed hold water, especially if he's had his ear to the ground at just the right time.
And here's what Allen has heard: Broncos head coach Sean Payton is "quite enamored" with Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, a presumptive first-round pick in April's draft. Allen also stated Payton is so convinced about McCarthy that he won't flinch if the Vikings decide to pass on him with their 11th overall selection.
“There is just a little bit of steam that is beginning to emerge locally that Sean Payton loves J.J. McCarthy … [Payton] covets the next Drew Brees," Allen reported earlier this week, via Sportsnaut. "So just keep that in mind, ya know, when you’re thinking 11 and if you’re thinking J.J. McCarthy at 11 just know behind you have the desperate [Payton] who basically will beg, borrow, and steal to get exactly what he wants from this draft from a QB standpoint. A pretty reliable individual informed me over the weekend that Payton is quite enamored with J.J. McCarthy.”
Amid rabid gossip, it's safe to say McCarthy's stock is on the ascent. Big league coaches are drawn to perennial winners such as McCarthy, and Payton's past commitment to building a run-based attack would allow him to pull the same strings as he did at Michigan.
Substantial holes will be punctured in the Broncos' roster once free agency opens next month, and with the pocketbook looking rather empty, Payton knows hitting on every pick will require plenty of leverage. That means each source will be religiously sounded out, with advantages gained by throwing up a multitude of smokescreens as cloaks to true intentions.
McCarthy bears all the hallmarks of a player who could be used specifically for such macabre tactics, particularly because his resume in the passing department is arguably too thin to be sure he's not a classic reach prospect.
In the final analysis, Allen's impassioned musings may not amount to anything more than a hill of beans come April 25 — principally, because Minnesota is picking one slot above Denver.
Should the Vikings opt to replace impending free-agent QB Kirk Cousins, the Broncos could lose out on McCarthy, and on the flip of a card.
Follow Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
