For Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, sometimes it seems like some of the fun is taking players other teams have given up on or have just generally been underestimated and turning them into valuable assets.
In Payton’s long history of refurbished players with the New Orleans Saints and Broncos, he’s been especially adept at doing so with quarterbacks — and it certainly seems like coming to play backup quarterback for one of Payton’s teams gives an almost instant boost in how a player is viewed in the eyes of other teams.
In one of the more famous examples of that process, Payton brought former No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston to the New Orleans Saints in 2020 after he flamed out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signing him to a 1-year, $1.1 million deal. Two years later, Winston got an unexpected payday when the Saints gave him a 2-year, $28 million contract.
Winston is a free agent once again after playing 1 season with the Cleveland Browns in 2024 and it just so happens the Broncos have exactly 1 quarterback currently on the roster in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Bo Nix.
The smart move for the Broncos would be to sign Winston to a 1-year contract in the range of $3 million to $5 million and give the team the best chance to win were Nix to go down with an injury in 2025.
Both of Broncos’ Backup QBs Free Agents
The latest example of Payton’s brilliance when it comes to revamping careers of castaway quarterbacks came in 2024, when he brought in former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson and guided him from being a hair’s breath of being out of the NFL forever to possibly getting a chance to be a team’s starter in 2025.
What’s even more incredible is that Wilson, who is now a free agent, did so while serving as the team’s emergency third quarterback for all 17 games and an AFC Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills — Denver’s first playoff game in a decade.
Denver’s actual backup quarterback was veteran Jarrett Stidham, who competed with Nix for the starting quarterback job in training camp and was in the final season of a 2-year, $10 million contract but could go elsewhere pursue an opportunity as a starter.
Winston Can Be High Risk and High Reward
The best insurance policy any team can get for its offense is a good backup quarterback, and Winston is one of the very best on the market.
Winston was actually playing some of the best football of his career in 2021 during Payton’s last year with the Saints, guiding them to a 5-2 record before suffering a catastrophic knee injury. Winston was forced into a starting role with the Browns in 2024 when Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles tendon in Week 7.
Winston did an admirable job of keeping the Browns’ heads above water for a short period of time. He went 2-5 in 7 starts and threw for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions — most notably both of Winston’s wins in 2024 came over playoff teams against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
He also had one of the wildest seasons — statistically — in the history of NFL quarterbacks when he threw for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in 2019.
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Broncos HC Sean Payton Predicted to Reunite With Former No. 1 Overall Pick