Roger Goodell (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

A quarterback-needy AFC team is reportedly willing to pay a fortune to move up for a signal-caller in next week’s 2024 NFL Draft.

The Chicago Bears will take Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Barring any surprises, the Washington Commanders will also take a quarterback with the second overall selection.

From there, the draft becomes much more unpredictable. Both the New England Patriots (No. 3) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 4) have expressed a willingness to trade their picks. The Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5) and New York Giants (No. 6) are also candidates to trade down.

According to a report from Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is willing to pay a petty penny to move up so that he can secure his quarterback:

“There’s talk that Sean Payton is ready to give up a king’s ransom to move up and acquire one of the top signal callers available…

Once again, there’s talk that the Broncos will dangle cornerback Patrick Surtain II as part of a package to trade up for a quarterback…Any package to move up will include at least one future first-round pick as well as Surtain and the 12th selection in this year’s draft.”

Pauline also reported that the Chargers would trade the pick to a division rival like the Broncos “if the price is right.” On top of that, Pauline said Michigan’s JJ McCarthy is the quarterback that Payton is targeting.

The Broncos have been stuck in the mud at quarterback since Peyton Manning’s retirement in 2016. Paxton Lynch and Drew Lock were early-round picks that didn’t pan out, and the team quickly gave up on Russell Wilson two years after completing a blockbuster trade for him.

So don’t be surprised if the Broncos trade up to secure a new quarterback. After all, it’s the never-ending roster weakness that has held them back for close to a decade now. At this time, it’s hard to believe that Payton is confident with a QB room of Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci.

A Quarterback-Heavy NFL Draft Class

Aside from Williams and McCarthy, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are also likely to be top-10 picks. Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. are other QB prospects who could be selected in round one of next week’s NFL Draft.

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