Broncos Linked to Record-Setting Homegrown QB After Draft in Conflicting Rumors

The Denver Broncos are not in the market for a starting quarterback, not with Bo Nix in place. The Broncos’ search to fill out their QB room has not stopped, however, and it nearly included former Colorado Buffaloes star Shedeur Sanders.

Sanders landed with the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 draft.

Fantasy Life’s Thor Nystrom relayed an overheard connection between Sanders and the Broncos that would have kept the polarizing QB in Colorado.

“On Day 3 of the NFL Draft, the Broncos believed they had an agreement in principle with Shedeur Sanders on a UDFA contract were he to go undrafted,” Nystrom posted on X on April 30. “Denver was excited about adding Sanders to QB room.

“Cleveland obv scuttled those plans in R5.”

KOA’s Benjamin Allbright refuted Nystrom’s report indirectly.

“No team had any UDFA contract conversations with Shedeur Sanders per source with knowledge,” Allbright posted on X on April 30. “Broncos were not planning on signing him, per league source.”

Shedeur Sanders’ Path Rocky Since Early Broncos Speculation

This latest rumor seems to have begun and ended with Nystrom and Allbright, respectively, though there was a time when Sanders was thought to be a potential Broncos target. In anticipation of a step back in 2024, The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler touted Sanders.

He wrote at the time that Sanders would be “fine” with joining the Broncos as a top pick.

“There’s an orange-and-blue bullet that’s been waiting about eight years for the Broncos to bite down on,” Keeler wrote in March 2024. “Tanks for nothing, right? Not necessarily. Not when one of the best three or four college quarterbacks eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft plays 35 minutes north of the metro.

“Yes, yours truly is prone to give The Deion Sanders Hype Machine the occasional pushback, as true CU hearts well know. But with Shedeur, man — Shedeur’s different.”

Sanders was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024.

He set the All-Time FBS/Division-IA record for completion percentage (71.8) while throwing for a conference-leading 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.

Sanders also led the Big 12 with a 168.4 passer rating. However, he also took 41 sacks on the season, absorbing multiple takedowns in nine of his 13 games played in his final collegiate campaign.

Of course, Sanders’ chances of landing with the Broncos ended before he was ever in play.

Broncos Found Franchise QB in 2024 Draft

Broncos head coach Sean Payton said he was happy not to need a quarterback this offseason. That did not stop the team from exploring post-draft options. The Broncos also signed Sam Ehlinger in free agency from the Indianapolis Colts.

Ehlinger joins Nix and current QB2 Jarrett Stidham in the Broncos’ room.

The Broncos selected Nix just over one month after Keeler’s article. They used the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Nix had a historic rookie season in 2024. Moreover, the Broncos have looked to bolster the roster around him on both sides of the ball. This offseason, they signed tight end Evan Engram in free agency and drafted RJ Harvey and Pat Bryant.

They join a group that includes Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., and others.

Nix and the Broncos will not see his supposed would-be teammate, Sanders, this season. The two teams will not cross paths in 2025, barring an unforeseen meeting in the AFC playoffs.