DENVER — Evan Engram‘s journey to the Denver Broncos started all the way back in 2017 in New York.

In fact, the story of Sean Payton‘s new joker signing a two-year, $23 million deal with the Broncos on Mar. 13, 2025 can be tied back to the weekend Engram was drafted with the New York Giants.

Twenty four hours after Roger Goodell declared Engram the 23rd-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Giants drafted a player who would go on to become one of Evan’s best friends.

“My boy Webb,” Engram told DNVR’s Bennie Fowler in an exclusive interview, referring to Davis Webb.

At that time, Webb, a third-round pick out of Texas Tech and Cal, was hoping to follow in Eli Manning‘s footsteps to be the Giants’ next franchise quarterback. Naturally, Engram, a receiving weapon, and Webb, a 6-foot-5 quarterback with a lively arm, formed a tight relationship on and off the field as they navigated the new world of the NFL together.

“We were tied at the hip. His apartment was right next to mine. We became best friends really, really fast and did everything together, really,” Engram told Fowler. “It was definitely tough when he left the Giants, but we always stayed close. We kept our friendship going strong and became a huge fan of his, even when he was playing other places and especially when he became a coach, him making that transition.”

Over the next eight years, the two close friends took drastically different paths. Engram became a Pro Bowl tight end with the Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Webb abruptly transitioned from being an NFL quarterback to coaching NFL quarterbacks.

As fate would have it, the two drastically different paths would collide in mid March of this year. On the afternoon of Thursday, Mar. 6, Engram was blindsided by the news that the Jaguars were releasing him, despite just a year removed from making his second Pro Bowl.

Minutes after, he was already on the phone with the Broncos.

“To have such a historic organization like the Denver Broncos call my phone minutes after I got a pretty surprising, kind of bad news about being let go from Jacksonville, and then obviously the Chargers got involved as well, it was just a great experience,” Engram said.

On the other end of the phone call wasn’t Sean Payton, George Paton or Greg Penner trying to sell Engram on joining the Broncos. It was “my boy Webb,” as Engram referred to him to, who is also now know as the Broncos’ quarterback coach.

“He was really the first guy to call me that night I got released. I guess they gave him the keys to really amp up that recruitment process because my boy hit me up with a 30-minute just straight bar-for-bar snap on what they got going on in Denver and really got into detail on what the vision they had for me within that offense,” Engram said of Webb. “That definitely kicked it off.”

Webb remained the Broncos’ point man in the full-court press to land the talented tight end. The friend and quarterback coach had one more role to fulfill in an attempt to land Engram during his two-day visit to the Mile High City on the eve of free agency.

“In the building, he was my tour guide, pretty much,” Engram said, giving his friend one more title.

Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers weren’t going to let the Broncos have Engram without a fight.

“Bro, I honestly felt like I was in a movie that entire week. That experience was such a blessing,” Engram said about the Broncos and Chargers both pursuing him following Jacksonville releasing him. “That was really the first time I was truly recruited since coming out of high school. You know us football players, that recruitment is big because there are teams, there are these organizations, these franchises or institutions that are asking you to bring your talents to that place. That means a lot to me.”

“At the end of the day, in the middle of all of that, it was truly a win-win situation for me football wise,” Engram continued. “Two great organizations. Two great coaching staffs. Two great quarterbacks. Two great offenses. It was a really tough decision for me. It really came down to how things feel to me naturally. I put a lot of faith in God for him to lay my path out for me and I promise I’ll stay along that path. There’s many times where I want to try and pave my own way and go my own direction, but I’ve learned in my life that rarely doesn’t ever work out.”

So Engram set out for Denver first, landing in the Mile High City the day before the NFL’s legal tampering period began. Since Engram had been released by the Jaguars days earlier, he was free to take visits and sign with a team at any point. He did not have to wait for the unofficial start of free agency.

“I had dinner with George Paton and [tight ends] Coach [Austin] King and Davis the night before,” he revealed about his plans on Sunday, Mar. 9.

The following morning, Engram arrived to Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit with his unofficial tour guide and friend Davis leading him through Denver’s facility. A significant stop on that tour led to a second floor office, which overlooked Denver’s practice fields with the head coach’s nameplate on the door.

“Sitting down with Sean, it felt right,” Engram said at peace. “Everything kind of clicked. Everything just felt like this was the place for me.”

Denver’s head coach didn’t put the full-court press on Engram during their meeting that Monday.

“It was super cool because one, Sean is like that super cool, chill, laid-back uncle that you can just go and talk to about anything. Bro had the full Jordan jumpsuit on vibin’,” Engram said with a big smile. “It was really cool. It was really organic. I didn’t walk into the office and we just got right into football and that’s what it was all about. We got to know each other and had a really good conversation and he was very personable with my wife. Got to know her as well. That meant a lot to me.”

When the conversation did eventually turn to football, Engram quickly realized Payton and the Broncos’ offense was a match made in heaven for him.

“When we did get to ball, everything that he’s been looking for in that type of position that I play is me,” Engram stated. “It’s what I work for. The things that I want to do in an offense. The skillset that I bring. And even some of the things I haven’t done a lot of in the past, I have that drive to learn what that is—what are the details, what are the ins and outs of that, and I’m going to attack it full head of steam.”

In other words, Engram viewed himself as Payton’s perfect joker.

“He’s looking for that player that can be a jack of all trades, really,” Engram said about his new head coach and offensive play caller. “It was really interesting because as I was supporting Davis as well, I would watch their games and there would be a lot of crossover film from Denver throughout my season in Jacksonville and stuff. I would catch their games on TV and just naturally, me just watching ball, always like to put myself in the game and watching their offense and watching the way they’re trying to spread the ball around, it was evident that my skillset could be used within the offense.”

Two seasons ago, Engram led all tight ends in the NFL with 114 catches. That was the fourth most in the entire league, regardless of position. That earned him his second trip to the Pro Bowl.

Yet, despite that ridiculous production, Engram fell 37 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards. A feat he has yet to accomplish in his NFL career.

It appears Payton has a vision for Engram to change that.

“There are a lot of things that I do really well within that [joker] world right now and I think a big part of it as well is becoming more of a vertical threat in the offense,” Engram said, revealing a selling point of Payton’s. “In Jacksonville, I was kind of a master of the underneath game, which is big for offenses, it’s big for young quarterbacks, it’s big for staying ahead of the chains. I love that role in that offense. And I’m going to continue to be great at that and be great at whatever I’m asked to do.”

“But I think the vertical presence that he mentioned and brought to the table and the vision he had for that was really big for me too. Because I do have that part in my game and I’m ready to be unleashed in that aspect,” Engram stated. “The vision that he has for that is that joker role. I love the narrative of the superhero, the supervillains, I love superhero stuff. I love Spiderman, Batman, all that stuff, it’s definitely cool. I love creating that narrative for myself to put a little bit of healthy pressure on me too. That’s something I’m going to full embrace. Whatever I’m asked to do, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”

If that didn’t show Engram’s excitement for his new role in the Broncos’ offense enough, he put out a tweet minutes after signing with the team, clearly embracing his new role.

“The tweet that I put out was a cool just kind of embracing of the moment,” Engram said about the tweet that went viral around Broncos Country. “That’s what he was looking for… It was just really cool to hear the vision that he had for me and the excitement that I have to attack that full head of steam.”

Leaving Payton’s office, it appeared Engram was thrilled with the potential of joining the Broncos.

“It was crazy, crazy experience,” Engram said, detailing the next 24 hours of his life. “I was in Denver, and you know, the contract stuff is a lot harder than — I felt like, you know, in free agency, you open up Twitter, X, and you just see that the deal is done and it’s all like it was this easy thing. The contract stuff is very, very challenging and is very grueling for agents and players and stuff.”

So, of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy for the Broncos to land the best tight end on the market.

“That first day it didn’t work out exactly how we wanted it to, so I got on the plane to the Chargers and had a great visit with them as well,” he said, pointing to the Broncos’ initial contract offer not being what he was looking for. “Like I said, both teams pretty much laid out the red carpet, kind of got that recruiting feel again, which is a blessing… It was really cool to feel desired and to let me talents really speak for itself. It was super cool. I really trust God with the path for me and what he has planned for me.”

But even after a “great” visit to sunny Los Angeles, Engram’s heart was brought back to the mountains.

“Everything felt right with Denver,” he added, clearly at peace with his decision to sign with the Broncos. “Super excited about this new beginning and the excitement that’s in the air about the team and the future and where we’re going. Everything I’ve been through in my career and the wisdom I have now, along with the talent that I bring to the table, it’s just a perfect fit.”

There was one more person that helped sell the dangerous receiving weapon to sign with the Broncos.

Despite coming off his rookie season, Bo Nix was the first Broncos player to reach out to Engram when the team showed interest in him. The two then met on Engram’s visit in Denver.

“He was in the building when I was there. We had lunch together. Got to know each other briefly,” Engram said. “Even having lunch with him, just kind of briefly, he was sitting down with one of the trainers and they were having a conversation about his throwing progression in the offseason and the little minor things he’s working on. That was music to my ears. Hearing the mindset, even as just a fly on the wall. I wasn’t even in the conversation, I was just kind of observing him and his work and his work ethic and his work process.”

But the lunch wasn’t the selling point for Engram on the young signal caller.

“My biggest thing was just watching his tape,” Engram revealed. “I sat down, downloaded a couple of games for the flight, sat down and watched some more with Davis in the building.”

That tape was all Engram needed to see to know the Broncos have a special quarterback.

“He has everything that it takes to be great in this league,” Engram stated. “The biggest thing that stood out to me was his presence in the pocket. He’s very calm, very collected. When the pocket does breakdown, the plays he can make on his feet while having his eyes downfield is something that you have to continue to put great talent around because that is a weapon. That is a true weapon.”

One other aspect that stood out on the film was Nix’s maturity and experience. There’s a good reason for that too. Nix holds the NCAA record for the most starts by a quarterback ever with 61.

“You look back to his college days, he’s played a lot of football,” Engram said. “A lot of these young quarterbacks come into the league now after maybe sitting out their first year and balling for two years and they’re already a top draft pick, which they have all of the talent in the world. But it does take a lot of experience to become great at that position. That’s something Bo has grown a lot. He had a great college career. I think there was a little bit of adversity in there where he had to overcome at a very early part of his career. That speaks a lot to me as somebody who has overcome a lot of things in their career.”

Even as a rookie, Nix faced adversity on the field. In the first three games of his NFL career, he had four interceptions with not a single passing touchdown and a 61.8 passer rating. Over the final 14 games of the regular season, Nix threw 29 touchdowns to only eight interceptions for a 101.2 passer rating.

“He has everything that it takes to be great in this league,” said Engram.

Nix’s 29 passing touchdowns was the second-most in NFL history for a rookie. His 34 total touchdowns — 29 passing, four rushing and one receiving — was the third-most of any rookie all time.

“Just this poise that he plays with. The swagger that he plays with,” Engram said, continuing his praise for the Broncos’ young quarterback. “When you put all of those things together, there’s something special there. Obviously the rapport he has in the building. The way the coaches talk about him, it was something that really meant a lot to me as well. Really excited to get to work with Bo. He has a bright future ahead of him. Whatever I can do to make his job easier and to help him evolve to be the great player he can become is a great opportunity for myself.”

As excited as Engram is to play with Nix, Bo has to be equally as excited that the team landed a dangerous receiving weapon. In fact, Engram could easily become Bo’s No. 1 safety net on the field, if not his No. 1 option overall.

Since 2023, Engram leads all tight ends in receiving yards when lined up in the slot, according to Next Gen Stats. Engram’s 957 receiving yards tops Travis Kelce‘s 866, Trey McBride‘s 849 and George Kittle‘s 791.

As Engram has an opportunity to emerge as Nix’s No. 1 target in the passing game, he’ll become the first tight end in NFL history, at least since the merger, to wear No. 1. How fitting for the newest Denver Bronco.

It’s not uncommon for quarterbacks to be a major selling point to prospective free agents, specifically a receiver or tight end. Bo Nix did his job landing Engram.

What is highly uncommon is for a quarterback coach to be given the keys to land one of the team’s biggest free agent targets. Thanks to his nearly decade-long friendship, Davis Webb accomplished his job and finally gave the Broncos a true No. 1 tight end in more ways than one.