After one year in the NFL, it's safe to say that Bo Nix was a game-changer for the Denver Broncos. After missing the playoffs each year since the 2015 season, Nix led the Broncos to the postseason as a rookie, passing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns along the way.
Nix's passing production set new franchise and league records, and no NFL rookie quarterback had more passing touchdowns or total scores than him. He was named the starter out of training camp, the first Broncos rookie quarterback to do that since John Elway in 1983, and he was also selected a team captain, which showcased how his teammates felt about him before he'd ever stepped onto a regular-season NFL field.
17 games and a playoff tilt later, it's safe to say that the faith Nix's teammates had in him was well-founded. With the season in the books, the Pro Bowl games are taking place, and the Broncos have three players in attendance, including cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Surtain joined the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams and shared his takeaways from watching Nix and competing alongside him as Broncos.
"What impressed me most is understanding how he was able to control the offense and sort of have so much of a presence leadership-wise over the locker room. I think everybody felt his presence, everybody felt the type of player he was," Surtain told Adams. "Obviously, he's an exceptional player. But the person he is on top of that makes him an even better person. I think with his composure, with his attitude that he brings to the game, he's going to be a threat for years to come in this league. You saw it this year—and this was only his rookie year—you see that happen his rookie year. I'm excited to see where he grows on from here on in. Yeah, Bo's going to be something special for years, so I'm excited for him."
Nix may not bring home the AP's Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but he was named a finalist. The honor will likely go to the Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels, who was impressive and led his team all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
Nix will finish as the ORoY runner up, in all likelihood, but that's okay because only one quarterback in NFL history has ever won the award, and gone on to also win a Super Bowl. That was Ben Roethlisberger.
Considering how much NFL media panned the Broncos drafting Nix at No. 12 and all the hand-wringing over Sean Payton purportedly 'reaching' for a quarterback, it's been quite delicious for fans to see all the freezing-cold takes come out in the wash. The bottom line is the Broncos finally found their franchise guy, and as Surtain previews, Nix is already an "exceptional" quarterback and is going to be "something special" for the foreseeable future.
Credit to Payton for seeing that X-factor in Nix and pulling the trigger in Round 1. The developmental curve that Payton led Nix through in 2024 was handled at an expert level. The farther the season marched along, the more Payton opened things up for Nix.
Year 2 should be even better, especially if the Broncos are able to add some weapons and speed to the offense via free agency and the draft, and build the proverbial nest around Nix.
