Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes may be the source of nightmares for defensive coordinators and players. He was certainly a force in the Denver Broncos’ plans for the 2024 draft. Denver selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick. It’s a slot that many view as a reach for the record-setting passer.
But Broncos head coach Sean Payton wasn’t about to let that kind of opportunity pass for a second time.
Broncos’ Sean Payton Compares Taking Bo Nix to Missing Patrick Mahomes
Sean Payton Hasn’t Gotten Over Losing Patrick Mahomes to Chiefs
“I think the biggest thing is trusting what you’re seeing, and I say that respectfully,” Payton said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on April 25. “Everyone has jobs to do and it’s always like, ‘Well, manage the draft.’ [Or], ‘They could have backed up and got him.’
“I heard that with Patrick Mahomes when Kansas City took him. And I’m like, ‘Well, they couldn’t have backed up and got him because we were taking him with the next pick. … Before Penix was taken, we were discussing a slight wiggle. Then you start looking at it and saying, ‘Is it worth the risk for a third-round pick?’ And I’m just glad it worked out in our favor.”
The Denver Broncos seeing that everyone is talking about the Atlanta Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. instead of their massive reach for Bo Nix: pic.twitter.com/aZjyteRyuC
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) April 26, 2024
The Chiefs acquired the No. 10 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft from the Buffalo Bills, using it to select Mahomes just one slot ahead of Payton’s former team, the New Orleans Saints.
Payton has referred to that moment often, and this pick could show just how much.
“When we evaluated him, he was clearly an elite player. The best quarterback I had ever seen on college tape. In the draft room, we pick 11. The Chiefs trade up to 10 ahead of us to take make that selection,” Payton said on “Fox NFL Kickoff” in 2022.
Payton said things got so far that he let former quarterback Drew Brees know the plan if Mahomes made it to them. Mahomes did not.
“It was gonna happen, and then it didn’t happen,” Payton said.
The rub for Payton is having to see the player he coveted – who has become every bit the player he projected during his evaluation – at least two times every season for the duration of their respective stays in the AFC West.
Chris Jones Rips NFL Rule Change
The NFL announced plans to allow players to wear the protective “guardian” caps often seen worn over helmets at practice during games this season. Chiefs lineman Chris Jones is not a fan of the decision.
“This is the craziest thing ever,” Jones posted on X, quoting another post on the impending change. “These caps make no difference.”
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Guardian Caps have been authorized for in-game use for next season. pic.twitter.com/BXNj4KNhMj
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 26, 2024
The NFL denied in-game use last season only to do an about-face this season.
It will be interesting to see which players decided to don the caps this season. It will also be interesting to see if that number changes from the start of the season through the final week. That wasn’t the only issue on the docket either.
Commissioner Roger Goodell is also pushing for an 18-game regular season slate. While Jones did not weigh in on that, his reaction will be one to watch.
Main Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
