The Minnesota Vikings went into the 2024 NFL Draft looking for a quarterback. While the Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick, he never realized his potential in Minnesota, writing the next chapter of his career after a trade to the New York Giants.
But there was also insult to injury, based on the words of noted Vikings villain Sean Payton.
The Vikings decided to trade up one spot to select McCarthy, sending the 11th overall pick, a fourth-round pick (No. 129), and a fifth-round pick (No. 157) to the New York Jets to get the 10th selection as well as a sixth-round pick (No. 203) in the 2024 draft.
While many believed the Vikings got their guy, Payton, who is currently the head coach of the Denver Broncos, celebrated after Denver took Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick.
“I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward,” Payton told reporters with a smirk.
When it comes to something this specific relative to the quarterback, man, you just don’t want others to know that this is their focal point.
...We just didn’t want to overthink it. [Nix] was our guy.”
While Payton may have laughed in the war room as the Vikings traded up for McCarthy, the football gods may have gotten the last laugh, and it may bring fans back in Minnesota some comfort after whiffing in that draft.
Sean Payton's honeymoon period with Bo Nix has come to an abrupt end
McCarthy’s failures in Minnesota have some believing that Nix, who threw for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and just three interceptions with 11.2 air yards per attempt in his final collegiate season at Oregon, and his ability to play on schedule may have worked well in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
But the Vikings, according to Bob McGinn of the Go Long Substack, preferred McCarthy’s ceiling since he was three years younger and Nix had a “game manager” label coming out of the Ducks' QB-friendly offense, which allowed Payton to take him two picks later.
While Payton felt he came away with a heist, Nix has been just as polarizing as a professional. Nix played well as a rookie, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to finish third in the NFL’s Rookie of the Year Award.
He also led the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game and may have gotten them to the Super Bowl if he hadn't suffered a broken ankle in a Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills last January.
But this season has been a nightmare. Nix’s completion percentage has declined for the third straight season to 60.3 percent, and his quarterback rating has dropped from 93.3 in his rookie season to 79.4.
While Nix has thrown for 1,049 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions in his first three games, things hit rock bottom in Thursday’s overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks, where he threw for just 107 scoreless yards and had an average of 4.0 air yards per attempt, triggering a scathing review from Amazon Prime analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick after the contest.
“I’m glad they scored the two touchdowns in the first half, but they were in four-minute mode when the second half started.
It was really frustrating to watch. And part of it, for me, is Bo Nix is not playing competitively. It’s almost disrespectful to the quarterback position how he’s playing right now.”
Nix was also torched by Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who noted that the Broncos are 4-for-26 on third-down conversions in their past two games and that all options should be open moving forward.
“At this point, Nix aspires to be a game manager. His goal is to avoid turnovers and sacks.
Payton’s first-half play-calling was on point. But he cannot script an entire game. It sure looked like Payton did not trust Nix to make plays after halftime. And Nix followed suit by not making any. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
...Until Nix proves he can regularly complete passes of over 10 yards in the air, the Broncos’ problems will go well beyond Fitzpatrick.”
Vikings fans could watch Bo Nix give Sean Payton a $55 million headache
The most complicated part is that despite his struggles, Nix is 28-12 as a starter. While the Broncos could start over at quarterback, they can still win games with what Nix provides, which could have them coughing up $55 million per season when his rookie deal expires after the 2028 season (assuming the Broncos pick up his fifth-year option).
Should that happen, the Broncos will have to either get rid of key pieces to wedge Nix’s salary under the cap or let Nix leave in hopes they can find another adequate solution in free agency or the draft.
It’s the concern the Vikings had when deciding between Nix and McCarthy. While Nix has been serviceable, it seems like his rookie-year performance was his ceiling. And if that’s the case, the Broncos could be paying a lot of money for Nix to be just OK instead of a multi-year solution at quarterback.
It also gives Vikings fans a smirk of their own, seeing Payton squirm as his quarterback checks down into oblivion.
Most known in Minnesota for his time as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, his role in the “Bountygate” scandal during the 2009 NFC Championship and mocking the SKOL clap just before the "Minneapolis Miracle" during the 2017 NFC Divisional Round matchup, has made him an enemy of the state long before he declared victory over the Vikings after the 2024 draft.
It’s also fun for Vikings fans to hear FOX Sports' Jay Glazer report that the Broncos changed their offensive terminology when Davis Webb became the offensive coordinator and took over play-calling duties last spring, and Payton changed them back after taking back his play-calling duties on October 8.
After throwing his OC under the bus, it may be a matter of time before he backs it up to get his hand-picked quarterback or maybe even just cut bait altogether like he did when leaving the Saints as their salary cap penalties piled up from kicking the can down the road.
This shouldn’t have Vikings fans declaring victory over passing on Nix during the 2024 draft. But it does keep them from the massive headache the Broncos will have in the next couple of years.
The Vikings also took Will Reichard with the sixth-round pick acquired in the McCarthy trade, giving them one of the most valuable players in this year’s 5-0 start.
Although the Vikings would love to have a long-term solution, they’ve had success cycling quarterbacks into their infrastructure and may have more sustainability in their championship window than the Broncos have with Nix.
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