Broncos QB Bo Nix Sends Telling Message About HC Sean Payton

Bo Nix had a vision of what he wanted during the pre-draft process in 2024, and he found it in head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos selected Nix with the No. 12 overall pick of the 2025 draft. What followed was a record-setting rookie season and the organization’s first playoff berth since 2015. In Year 2, expectations are higher.

Nix is embracing those, too, and he can do it thanks to landing in the right environment.

“One of the things that I really wanted during the draft process was to be drafted by a team that had coaches that were just extremely experienced. Knew so much to give to me, very knowledgeable, been around the game for a long time, have seen how the game has changed over time, and that’s exactly what I got. I was fortunate to be drafted by the Broncos and Coach Payton, and Coach [offensive coordinator Joe] Lombardi, with their offensive scheme,” Nix said on “The Insiders” on July 30.

And then, Davis Webb, my quarterback coach, has done an outstanding job of getting me ready for practices, getting me ready for games, getting me ready for the season. And so, I’ve just been coached really well, and it starts at the top. So, Coach Payton has had a history of coaching really good quarterbacks, and I’m excited to just continue to learn and grow under him, and just be that quarterback that he likes to put out on the football field and can go play for him.”

In his first season under Payton, Nix set the Broncos’ franchise records for passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns.

Sean Payton Raves About Bo Nix

Nix was a projected fit for Payton and the Broncos before the draft. He drew comparisons to former New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees. Nix visited Brees in San Diego during the offseason break.

There was a moment during the 2024 season when Payton and Nix had an animated discussion on the sidelines. The coach compared his QB to Ferris Bueller.

Ex-Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead expected that moment to galvanize the duo, though.

The Broncos won that game 34-18. Nix was also a key resource for the Denver Broncos this offseason, helping to recruit free agents and welcome newcomers. Payton has lauded what he has in Nix at the helm of his offense and as a leader.

“The leadership skill set, I think, comes at that position, and he’s comfortable with that. And when you’re a young player, then it’s just about proving yourself,” Payton said on “Back Together Weekend” on July 26. “In other words, the locker room is waiting for you to lead, waiting for you to excel. And when you prove that you can play, they latch onto that, and I think it happened for him last year.

“I don’t know who wouldn’t want this type of quarterback in their system. Because I think, sometimes, it gets – there’s that insinuation, ‘Well, it’s the perfect fit with our offense,’ and he’s the perfect fit for anyone that wants to win at that position. So now, we’re putting together the things around him.”

The Broncos did that, adding impact players on both sides of the ball, and retaining Nix’s favorite target.

Courtland Sutton: Bo Nix is ‘Special’

Nix’s historic rookie season likely also helped the Broncos sort out their future. That includes a four-year, $92 million extension for wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Sutton is one of the longest-tenured Broncos.

According to Sutton, Nix is “my guy” and “special.”

“Being able to have the conversations that I’ve had with him throughout the offseason and so far throughout training camp, the dude’s mindset. He was already light years ahead of where anybody expected a rookie quarterback to be last year. But to have the conversations that we’re having together already, and the things that he sees, and the things that are already possible through the first, what, nine days of camp, I think we’ve had so far? Man, it’s promising,” Sutton told reporters on July 29.

“I look forward to continuing to watch him grow, continue to watch his leadership grow, continue to watch his development at the quarterback position grow. And Bo’s a special guy on and off the field. And I tell him all the time, even beyond football, he’s a special dude. The way that he thinks, the way that he carries himself, the way that he leads. He’s a special guy.”

“To be able to share the locker room with him, share the field with him, it’s a special thing,” Sutton said. “I just look forward to what’s ahead and us continuing to build what we can here.”