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During his time with the New Orleans Saints — and during previous stops with other NFL teams — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has had what he describes as a “Joker” in his offense.
Following the conclusion of the team’s 2024 season, Payton was asked if he has a “Joker” with the Broncos, and if not, will he add one this offseason?
“Fair question,” Payton said on Jan. 15. “I know how much it can help. It’s not until you don’t have them [that you notice]. I’ve said this before — early on as a coach, when you’re just coaching and you have your players, I remember the selection of Reggie Bush and the owner asking me, ‘Well we already have Deuce McAllister,’ who was a real good running back. I said, ‘Mr. Benson — the late Mr. Benson — this running back’s different. He can do these things.’ We talked about it. It was a good question, but that was the first exposure at this level for me as a head coach.
“We had Tiki Barber when I was at the Giants, he was a Joker-type player. Jeremy Shockey was a Joker-type player. Jason Witten was a Joker-type player early in his career. Then pretty soon, we had Shockey and then Jimmy Graham, and then Darren Sproles, then [Alvin] Kamara, then… I didn’t really appreciate it at the time, but in that stretch, we went through a stretch of 15 or 16 seasons with real, real high-end offenses that maybe didn’t have a receiver get to a Pro Bowl, but those other spots did.
“I think in our league when you look around and you reference… Just take some of the top teams… You’ll always remember [Travis] Kelce with the Chiefs. I don’t know that you’ll remember the receivers sometimes. Maybe through that Super Bowl run, maybe so. Do I think we have some candidates? Yes. That inner triangle of attacking a defense is really important.”
Jaleel McLaughlin might be the closest thing the Broncos currently have to a “Joker,” a versatile player who can line up at multiple spots and make an impact as a receiver, but he’s not at the level of the other players Payton mentioned. Denver could add one during the NFL draft this spring, perhaps with a dynamic running back or a tight end like Penn State’s Tyler Warren.
The Broncos need to add more juice to the offense in 2025, surrounding young quarterback Bo Nix with playmakers in his second season. Perhaps a “Joker” will be added to the squad this spring.