The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2024 NFL Draft concerned with a few teams that seemed nearly as desperate to pick a quarterback of the future as they were. One of the biggest threats was the team right behind them, the Denver Broncos, whose head coach is now Sean Payton.
Internet thinks Sean Payton baited Minnesota Vikings into trade up
Well, in the last hour or two, the internet has caught fire 13-second viral clip in which the original poster (@BroncosAve – X) went with a caption that suggests Payton is gloating that he baited the Vikings into a trade up from No. 11 to No. 10, so they could land JJ McCarthy.
In the clip, Sean Payton says, “I was actively trying to pretend we were moving forward … [chuckles] … in other words … [chuckles again]” — end of clip.
Of course, when I first saw the caption, I figured it was accurate as to what Payton said. Of course, the annoyance I have with this specific head coach is always buried in the back of my mind. I mean, his bountygate program ruined the Minnesota Vikings’ chance at a Super Bowl in 2009.
Immediately, I started thinking about how stupid someone has to be to believe he tried to bait the Vikings into anything, when the the Broncos were behind the Vikings, not visa versa. It just doesn’t make logical sense. He wanted to get the NY Jets some additional draft capital? I mean, how would something like that benefit the Broncos.
But… before getting too irrational, I watched the actual clip and quickly noticed there was nothing about the Vikings. That he could have been speaking more generally about bluffing a trade up or it could have been earlier the was trying to pretend. So, I wanted to find the entire exchange.
The full video tells a completely different story
It wasn’t hard to track down. It’s in the middle of the Denver Broncos post draft press conference last night. It didn’t take long listening to the entire back and forth (question was originally asked by former GOAT Vikings reporter Chris Tomasson) before you realize that the last thing Payton was worried about was baiting Minnesota into anything.
The below video includes the entire exchange and includes captions in case you need the sound off.
He and the rest of the Broncos draft room were deathly afraid of what, not just the Vikings were going to do ahead of them, but also the New York Jets, especially after the Atlanta Falcons shocked the entire football world by taking Michael Penix at No. 8.
I don’t know if it was really Bo Nix that the Broncos were targeting. But even so, they were much more worried that he was going to be taken before they picked than they were about baiting anyone else around them.
More must-reads: