Which NFL team is best fit for UW Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr.?

When and where standout UW Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. lands in the upcoming NFL Draft is a topic that’s been widely debated.

ESPN’s Yates: How early UW Huskies’ Penix may go in the NFL Draft

Penix was reportedly scheduled to meet with two interesting fits this week that are drafting in the first half of the first round. NFL Network insider Ian Rapaport said on social media that Penix visited with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday and was set to meet with the Las Vegas Raiders the following day. Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus weighed on the potential fits for Penix on Thursday during the Four-Down Territory segment of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“Man, I think this is tough, because you look at the Raiders, they have a new offensive coordinator named Luke Getsy,” Bumpus saud. “He was the Bears OC from (2022-23). The Bears were the No. 2 rushing team in the league – influenced a lot by (quarterback) Justin Fields. Averaged 141 rushing yards per game. Also, he helped DJ Moore have a career high with 96 receptions and 1,300 yards. And you have a No. 1 receiver in Davante Adams. I look at Vegas and I go, ‘You know what? Antonio Pierce, man. He’s kind of like a new player-coach going on. He might vibe with Michael Penix.’”

Pierce, a nine-year NFL veteran, took over as Raiders head coach midway through the season and led Las Vegas to a 5-4 record after Josh McDaniels was fired following a 3-5 start. Las Vegas is heading into the second year of the post-Derek Carr era and doesn’t appear to have a clear answer as his successor. The Raiders, who hold the No. 13 overall pick, brought in Jimmy Garoppolo ahead of the 2023 season, but he struggled to perform and missed time due to injury. They also have 2023 fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell, who completed 62.1% of his passes for 2,218 yards, 12 TDs and seven interceptions in 11 games last season.

What about a Broncos team that’s picking at No. 12 and is clearly in rebuild mode after moving on from Russell Wilson?

“The question I have with (Denver head coach) Sean Payton is, ‘Can you really develop quarterbacks?’” Bumpus said. “I know you had Drew Brees back in the day forever. You brought him over from the Chargers, you guys did your thing, but you had one quarterback for so long. Can you develop a quarterback? That’s gonna be the question for me. But if you look at the receiving core for the Denver Broncos as a whole, you have (Courtland) Sutton who had 10 touchdowns last year, Tim Patrick had five, you got Josh Reynolds coming over from Detroit. You look at just the core, the Broncos have the better core.”

The Broncos have suffered seven straight losing seasons, including two since the blockbuster trade that sent Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks to Denver. Payton is entering his second year as a head coach, but there’s already been plenty of drama during his tenure in Denver. Payton never seemed to gel with Wilson, and he eventually benched the former Seahawks star in favor of journeyman Jarrett Stidham.

“I’m looking at the offensive coordinator Betsy and … Pierce and saying if they’re gonna go after a quarterback, if they’re gonna grab one, I see Michael Penix vibing with the Raiders a bit more. Either way … you gotta deal with Patrick Mahomes twice a year (in the AFC West). It’s almost like a death sentence over there. You better surround that man with a lot of talent.”

Find the full discussion at this link or in the audio player near the top of the story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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