Sean Payton reveals how Falcons ruined Raiders, Vikings, Broncos truce in NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft began with an onslaught of offensive prospects. A total of 14 offensive players were selected before a single player was picked on the defensive side of the ball, the longest stretch of offensive picks in any NFL Draft. Most notably, six quarterbacks were taken in the top 12 picks for the first time in NFL history.

No draft class has enough franchise quarterbacks to satiate the quarterback-needy teams. With so many quarterbacks crammed into the top of this year's draft, there was bound to be some competition for the early selections.

For the most part, a few things were pretty clear about the 2024 NFL draft: The Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, and New England Patriots were going to select USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels, and North Carolina's Drake Maye with the top three picks, respectively.

Beyond that, there were three teams that desperately needed a quarterback — the Minnesota Vikings (No. 11 overall), Denver Broncos (No. 12 overall), and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13 overall). The consensus second-tier of quarterback prospects featured Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, and Washington's Michael Penix Jr., and Oregon's Bo Nix.

It was perfect: three quarterbacks for three quarterback-needy teams.

With all three teams picking in three consecutive spots, there was little margin for error. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and Broncos head coach Sean Payton both suggested they could be jockeying for the same prospect, which led to a cold war in the months leading up to the 2024 NFL draft.

Falcons ruined Raiders quarterback plans, caused Vikings trade

Teams do their own reconnaissance on other teams to figure out if their preferred prospect will fall to them. The Broncos had been linked to McCarthy throughout the process, but their interest in the Michigan product may have been fabricated. During a press conference on Thursday night, Payton explained that Denver attempted to throw the competition off their scent throughout the pre-draft process.

"I was actively involved in trying to pretend we were moving forward," Payton said with a smile. "It's this time of the year, and it's difficult. ... Man, you just don't want others to know [our] focal point."

Eventually, Denver gathered their intel and determined that all three of the teams preferred different quarterbacks: Minnesota liked McCarthy, Denver liked Nix, and Las Vegas liked Penix.

Denver was concerned about the New York Giants selecting one of those three quarterbacks. Once the Giants drafted a wide receiver, Payton said he got on a conference call with the Vikings and Raiders to tell them to not trade up and cause a spending frenzy.

It made sense to actively spread misinformation prior to the draft. During the draft, it made more sense to work together. Ultimately, all three ended up waiting patiently at their original selections.

But then, something unexpected happened. The Atlanta Falcons selected Penix at No. 8 overall, which tore apart the peace treaty and sent the alliance into a tailspin — there were just two quarterbacks left for three teams.

"When Atlanta took [Penix], now it was like, 'Holy cow, do we have to go up a pick?'" Payton said. "We're paying attention to where the Raiders are and it was a tough 10 minutes or 20 minutes. ... Now all of a sudden, we're paying attention to the team behind us and it got a little crazy there for a minute."

The Vikings ultimately moved up from No. 11 to No. 10, sending fourth- and fifth-round picks to the New York Jets for the swap. After the Vikings selected McCarthy and the Jets selected an offensive lineman, the Broncos ended up with the guy they claim they wanted all along: Bo Nix. The Raiders, with no quarterback left on the board, ultimately selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.

Bowers said he was "shocked" when the Raiders selected him. He had talked with the Raiders at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he didn't believe they were interested in selecting him. Perhaps they really weren't.

In the end, Minnesota and Denver left happy. Las Vegas took a gamble and lost — just because the house always wins doesn't mean the Raiders do too.