Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has said he believes Bo Nix will become a top-five quarterback soon. The second-year passer lacks the same bravado as his coach.
When asked if he would double-down on the hype in a Tuesday interview with FanDuel's Kay Adams, Nix refused to do so. But he did agree with Payton that the Super Bowl should be the Broncos' goal in 2025.
"Listen, I'm glad I've got a coach that believes in us as players to put that stuff out there," the QB said. "The good thing about our team is we're gonna have guys come up and show up to work, they're not going to let distractions get to them. The Super Bowl kind of goes without having to say it, you know, we're all working for that goal."
The Broncos starters didn't look like Super Bowl contenders in their first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. During the 30-9 win, Nix and the first-team offense played just three drives. The QB went 6-of-11 for 31 yards.
Despite the shaky preseason opener, Payton hasn't lost confidence in the 25-year-old.
"The first thing that people look at, even free agents, is, [does a team] have a quarterback?" Payton told Adams. "I think the people that have seen Bo play in person... have seen his skill set, his feet, his ability to get us in the right place."
Nix finished third in 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels after tossing 29 touchdown passes in 17 starts.
However, Denver needs him to get off to a faster start in 2025. In his first four games last season, the Oregon/Auburn product tossed one TD pass and four interceptions.
The Broncos also need him to deliver against playoff teams. Denver went 2-5 against teams that made the postseason in 2024.
If Nix does both of those things, more people should hop on Payton's hype train.
Clark Dalton
Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.
