Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton once coveted 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and former USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams. So much so, there were some expectations that a trade up in the 2024 draft could be possible.
Williams went No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears. Moreover, Payton said he got the player that he wanted in Bo Nix at No. 12.
Draft slot aside, there are other reasons that Payton may have passed on Williams anyway.
According to ESPN writer Seth Wickersham’s book “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback”, and relayed by The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg on August 12, Payton “loves” Williams’ arm talent.
However, Payton “worried a little about his processing speed.” He also cited “too many easy completions left on the field.”
Payton’s “primary concerns” were “existential;” how would Williams handle failure?
Williams had a notoriously uneven final collegiate season, in which the Trojans won three fewer games and his individual numbers suffered. He took criticism for finding his mother and crying in her arms in the stands after a loss to Washington during the 2023 season.
Part of the backlash stemmed from Williams’ since-deleted post many took as criticism for former TCU passer Max Duggan for crying during his press conference in 2022.
Broncos HC Sean Payton Once Coveted Caleb Williams
Payton knows exactly what he wants from quarterbacks that play for him, which is why the fit between him and Nix received strong projections. He was once as high on Williams as he was on Patrick Mahomes coming out of Texas Tech in 2017.
Then, the Kansas City Chiefs leapfrogged Payton’s New Orleans Saints in a trade with the Buffalo Bills.
The belief was that Payton might not want to let such an opportunity pass him by again.
“I think he’s a generational player,” Payton said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” in November 2022. “Especially with the relationship our league has in gaming now, at some point, we’re going to move to a lottery system in the NFL, right? Because this is a player that possibly does that where at the end of the season … clubs begin to lose to try to put themselves in that position.
“This player, I think, is the type of player that we would look back on in five years and say, ‘He’s why the lottery exists now.’”
Rumors of the Broncos’ interest in a top passer in the 2024 class circulated that February. The Broco’ coach fueled speculation, saying a trade up in the draft was a possibility, but the Broncos also showed interest in former Michigan star J.J. McCarthy, now of the Minnesota Vikings.
Payton took a victory lap about false-flagging the Broncos’ interest in a trade after the draft.
That was presumed to be about McCarthy, but his concerns about Williams’ processing speed and missing easy completions showed up during the QB’s rookie season.
Williams absorbed an NFL-leading 68 sacks. Payton believes sacks are a quarterback stat more than an indication of offensive line play. Williams threw 6 interceptions. He also posted the ninth-lowest aggressive throw rate and the ninth-highest time to throw, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Nix, for comparison’s sake, was 24th in sacks taken, 12th in TTT, and 13th in aggressiveness.
Whether that all means that Payton was correct and the Broncos are better off with Nix than Williams is to be determined.
Broncos’ Early Success With Bo Nix Encouraging
Notably, Payton and the Broncos were coming off a tumultuous two-year stint with Russell Wilson. The coach and QB clashed, sometimes publicly. That may have steered Denver away from a prospect like Williams and more towards Nix’s archetype.
Nix set numerous Broncos rookie passing records. He also led the team to its first double-digit win season and playoff berth since its Super Bowl-winning 2015 season.
Now, Nix and Payton believe this Broncos team can make another title run in 2025.
Nix has taken Payton’s praise for him in stride. Nix said he must work to live up to the Broncos head coach’s expectations. It has included landing the youngster’s ability to avoid negative plays. More recently, Payton said that the former Oregon Duck will be a “top” QB.
