The Denver Broncos are probably coming away with a QB during the 2024 NFL Draft, but even if they do that, does the team already have a backup plan in place? The Broncos should come away with a rookie QB, and my best guess is that it'll be one of Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr, or Spencer Rattler. The team could use the 12th pick for that QB, but they could also trade down and possibly land one of the three.
Well, in many instances, rookie QBs in their first year look shaky, but can sometimes show a lot of promise. In very rare instances, you have rookie QBs like CJ Stroud who quickly became a top-10 passer. In other instances, your rookie QB may look a lot like Josh Allen, who was the worst QB in football before his breakout year in 2020.
And sometimes, the rookie QB is stuck in the middle of this. Both Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow were fine as rookies. They weren't bad by any means but they weren't great. So, the Denver Broncos starting a rookie QB should experience one of these three scenarios: disaster in year one, modest in year one, or excellent in year one.
And if Sean Payton isn't too satisfied with how his rookie QB plays, could he already have a backup plan lined up for 2025? It's possible, and it could be Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, who doesn't seem to be getting an extension this offseason, which means he'd be slated to hit free agency next offseason.
Prescott would be entering his age-32 season in 2025 but is obviously a very good QB, especially from the pocket. Prescott is not only an excellent pocket passer, but he's also elite pre-snap, which are two things that Sean Payton covets in his QBs. Also, take a look at what Payton had to say about Prescott a while back:
"“I think he is [an] exceptional leader. You just watch his presence and when he came into this league. I think he is strong in the pocket and he is a guy who can come out of trouble if you will. He can come off of sacks, out of tackles, extend plays. I think he has a real good presence in the pocket. He can beat you with his arm and he can beat you with his feet. He is a winner and those are the things that you see him doing the last three weeks now. They (Cowboys) kind of have things going.”"Sean Payton
There's really no reason to believe that Sean Payton would not want Dak Prescott in 2025 unless the Broncos hypothetical rookie QB is showing enough promise going into year two. The team is slated to have nearly $90 million in cap space next offseason, so Denver will have money to spend.
With Sean Payton turning 61 at the end of the year, I don't believe he's wanting to coach for much longer, so to try and cap-off the mini rebuild that the Broncos are doing, signing a legitimate QB if he hits the open market could be the team's backup plan if their 2024 rookie QB does not pan out the way they had hoped.