Video: Broncos' Sean Payton Says 'No One Saw' Falcons Drafting Michael Penix Jr.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton says his team was shocked by the Atlanta Falcons' decision to select Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick of the 2024 draft.

"You try to simulate what you think's gonna happen," Payton said about the Broncos' strategy to draft Bo Nix on the Scoop City podcast with Dianna Russini and Chase Daniel (27:00 mark.) "We felt the Giants were gonna be an at-large team, no necessarily for Bo, but for a quarterback. Are they taking one, or not? And then, they didn't.

"So, pretty soon, there's three teams with a need. The Vikings, the Broncos, and the Raiders. And then Atlanta, out of nowhere, no one saw that."

The Falcons drafted Penix out of Washington just two months after locking in Kirk Cousins with a four-year, $180 million deal that offered the veteran quarterback $100 million guaranteed.

Payton and the Broncos weren't the only ones shocked by the decision. Russini reported at the time that sources told her Cousins was "a bit stunned" by the decision, which NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah reported the veteran was not informed about ahead of the draft.

That surprising decision left the Broncos, who weren't drafting until No. 12, waiting for three more teams to make their decisions, and just two top quarterbacks in Nix and J.J. McCarthy left on the board.

When asked if he felt comfortable with the Broncos' chances of getting Nix at that point, Payton answered, "Not as comfortable as I did before [the Falcons'] pick."

Nix was still on the board by the time the Broncos' pick came around, so Payton and his team's decision not to try to trade up for their desired quarterback paid off. The Broncos have not yet named Nix the 2024 starter, but after a strong preseason the rookie seems on track to top the depth chart by Week 1.

The Falcons' plans with Penix are less clear. Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said Monday that Penix, who sat out the team's second preseason game, will also not play in the team's Friday preseason finale.