Latest Vikings QB report proves Broncos got lucky with Bo Nix

Who knew the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings could have such an under-the-radar, unwritten rivalry during the 2024 offseason? Vikings fans were pretty defensive earlier in the 2024 offseason when Sean Payton came out and talked about how he was active in making people think the Broncos wanted to trade up (presumably for JJ McCarthy) during the 2024 NFL Draft. Vikings fans were offended because the perception was that Sean Payton was laughing at them for drafting McCarthy, but that was never the case.

Payton wanted Bo Nix, plain and simple. He wanted the reports from the media to be that the Broncos were trying hard to move up to get their guy, and there were obviously a lot of people who took that bait. The Vikings tried to trade up to get Drake Maye and failed to do so.

Now, a report from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN seems to indicate that McCarthy is going to be the Vikings' QB2 indefinitely:

"The Vikings believe that there is untapped potential here, that there is a lot of ability. He's never had a supporting cast quite like this. So, they believe he can not only start games, but potentially thrive if everything goes well. So, their plan would be to sit J.J. McCarthy to an unknown amount of games, whether it's a full season, however many games that they believe he can learn a high-volume passing system behind the scenes at least for a little bit would be good for him."

- Jeremy Fowler (via SportsCenter)

The Vikings invested a decent amount in Sam Darnold ($10 million) so it would make sense to give him the year as the starter and see what he's got. But the fact that this is being reported before the team even takes the field for training camp should make the Denver Broncos and Broncos fans feel even better about the Bo Nix selection.

Although the Broncos haven't anointed Nix as the clear starter to open this season, the reports out of OTAs have been bordering on overwhelmingly positive. Head coach Sean Payton has reiterated on multiple occasions that Nix has looked like the guy they became enamored with in the pre-draft process. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi recently stated that Nix doesn't look like a rookie out there.

To state the obvious, Bo Nix is older than JJ McCarthy. He has had a lot more time on task. He's had a lot more opportunities to fail forward. McCarthy's future is not in shambles by any means, but in the context of the Broncos' current situation, it looks like the team was fortunate to be able to land Nix with the 12th overall pick.