Back in 2017, the New Orleans Saints were in a prime position to find Drew Brees’ successor at quarterback.
They were slated to pick at No. 11 overall, and head coach Sean Payton had his sights set on Patrick Mahomes.
Instead, he had to settle for Marshon Lattimore, who’s an elite cornerback, but not the generational player Mahomes became after the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to nab him at No. 10.
Fast forward, and that may have been the reason Payton, now head coach of the Denver Broncos, was so eager to take Bo Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Losing out on Patrick Mahomes is something that haunted Sean Payton,” ESPN insider Seth Wickersham said on “Up & Adams.”
“Losing out on Patrick Mahomes is something that haunted Sean Payton.” 😳
Seth Wickersham on what led Sean Payton to drafting Bo Nix in Denver.@heykayadams | @SethWickersham pic.twitter.com/TM16yABxzn
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 19, 2025
Granted, Nix, the No. 12 overall pick last year, isn’t the caliber of player Mahomes is, but to be fair, not many people saw that kind of dominance coming when the Chiefs selected the Texas Tech product.
Payton was so close to getting the player he coveted the most, and it would’ve been interesting to see how things would’ve turned out in New Orleans.
Brees wound up playing for three more seasons, so perhaps Mahomes wouldn’t have become the player he is, or maybe the Saints would’ve cut ties with the veteran sooner.
At the end of the day, there’s no way to change what happened.
But who knows? Maybe Nix will turn out to be as good, or maybe Payton will get a chance to coach Mahomes someday.
