Broncos Coach Admits to Tricking Vikings Into Trading Up

The Denver Broncos got their quarterback on Thursday when they selected Oregon signal caller Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick. Nix was the sixth and final quarterback taken on night one, tied for the most quarterbacks ever drafted in the first round.

There was word that the Broncos wanted to trade up for a quarterback but were unsuccessful. Instead, the Minnesota Vikings traded up one spot, from No. 11 to No. 10 with the New York Jets to select a quarterback. With the pick, the Vikings drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. According to Broncos head coach Sean Payton, that was part of the plan.

Payton told reporters on Friday that he was trying to bait the Vikings into moving up in the draft. Whatever that means.

“I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward,” Payton told Denver reporters on Friday, per Denver Broncos 365.

The Vikings moved up to No. 10, fearing other teams like the Broncos would move up for a quarterback, especially since the Jets don’t need a quarterback compared to Minnesota and Denver. In their deal with the Jets, the Vikings traded their Nos. 11, 129, and 157 picks to move up one spot to select McCarthy, a player the Broncos were heavily linked to.

Six quarterbacks were taken in the first round of the NFL draft, including Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., McCarthy, and Nix. Maybe Payton was trying to save face after the Broncos couldn’t get ahead of the Vikings in the draft.

The 60-year-old coach doesn’t have the best track record against Minnesota. Payton mocked Vikings fans with a Skol chant during the 2019 NFC Divisional Playoffs before the “Minnesota Miracle,” in which Case Keenum hit wide receiver Stefon Diggs with the game-winning, walk-off touchdown.

Nonetheless, the Broncos have their guy, and Nix is happy to be in the Mile High City. The 24-year-old said he wants to build a legacy in Denver, not just be another “draft pick,” per Andrew Mason of Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan.

“…I don’t want to just be a draft pick. I want to be able to show my improvements & show that I can do what he picked me to do, & that’s go out there & win games or help win games, do whatever I can to put his team in a better situation.”

Nix comes into Denver with a ton of experience, having spent three seasons in Auburn and two seasons in Oregon. In his final college season, Nix led the Ducks to a 12-2 record, completing 77.4% of his passes, 4,508 passes, and 45 touchdowns.