Although Peyton Manning’s ownership of the Denver Broncos never quite came to fruition, he remains extremely connected with the organization and Rob Walton. If there is anyone who knows anything about their NFL Draft plans outside of the front office, it would be the two-time Super Bowl champion.
He may have accidentally leaked the team’s preference at quarterback on Tuesday afternoon.
Denver, which essentially pushed Russell Wilson out of the door, added Zach Wilson in a trade with the New York Jets on Monday. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are still on the roster.
However, head coach Sean Payton said previously that he wants to “fall in love” with a quarterback. The Broncos are probably going to draft one on Thursday. It is just a matter of who, and when.
As of right now, they hold the No. 12 overall pick. Assuming that everything goes as expected, that puts them out of the running for the “big four” of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy. Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., Spencer Rattler and guys like Michael Pratt will probably still be on the board, but it doesn’t sound like those guys are Denver’s first choice.
Manning joined Josh Dover and Brandon Stokley on 104.3 The Fan to discuss a variety of different topics. The upcoming NFL Draft, of course, was one of them.
Here is where things get interesting.
Manning revealed his conversation with McCarthy earlier this week. He said that “he knows Denver’s very interested in him” and “it sounded like” that interest is mutual.
Peyton Manning tells @joshuadover & @bstokley14 that he had a conversation with J.J. McCarthy this week:
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) April 23, 2024
“Impressive to talk to. I know Denver’s very interested in him. It sounded like this is a place he’d love to come to.”
More from @Shapalicious here: https://t.co/UOMEYbGuDN pic.twitter.com/0OxMrwIhN2
You can choose to interpret the comments however you so choose.
Maybe Manning is reading the tea leaves based off of the Broncos’ private workout with McCarthy. Maybe he knows something.
Either way, if the Denver Broncos are going to draft McCarthy, they will likely have to move up in the draft order — maybe even to as high as No. 4 — if it has a chance to call his name. Arizona currently holds that pick.