The early part of July is for speculation, hot takes, and debates as we await NFL training camps to open later this month.
A to Z Sports' own Destin Adams and Kyle Crabbs have been analyzing each division, making bold predictions for teams and players. On Thursday they turned their attention to the AFC West, and are in agreement that Bo Nix will accomplish a feat that hasn't been reached since Peyton Manning was at quarterback for the Denver Broncos.
Bo Nix posts a top-5 all-time Denver Broncos passing yardage season in 2025
From Kyle Crabbs: "Peyton Manning. John Elway. Smokin' Jay Cutler. The Broncos have had some all-time slingers of the football. But in the grand scheme of single-season passing yard performances, I'm ready to project Bo Nix into the top-5. Manning holds the three best single-season marks, logging at least 4,569 yards or better from 2012-2014. Jay Cutler's 2008 season is the only other single season to surpass 4,100 yards (4,526), and Jake "The Snake" Plummer ranks 5th with 4,089 in 2004.Give me over 4,089 for Bo Nix in 2025 after he logged 3,775 passing yards as a rookie last season. The improvements to the weaponry should give Sean Payton the needed firepower to kick Denver's passing attack up a notch, and Nix now has a year of NFL seasoning under his belt. I like the mix."
Destin is whole heartily in agreement.
From Destin Adams: "The biggest shock to me when I was researching whether to buy this take was that John Elway does not have a top-five passing yards season in Broncos history. Just tells you how much the game has changed over time. While the take sounds like it would be an incredible feat for Nix, it would only take a slight improvement from his rookie year. Nix only needs to add 314 yards to his total from 2024. He will be more comfortable at the NFL level and in Sean Payton's offense. And Payton will likely have more trust in his QB, which will lead to him opening up more of the playbook."
Nix threw for 3,775 yards in 2024. In the last 10 games of the season, he averaged 252.9 passing yards per game. If he can average that throughout an entire season, he would reach 4,299 yards, which would pass Plummer for the fourth-most in franchise history.
No Broncos passer has eclipsed 4,000 yards since Manning, who did it from 2012-2014. Manning's high of 5,477 yards in 2013 is an extremely high bar, but it may not be out of the question that one day Nix could pass Manning's total of 4,659 from the 2012 season. Becoming a 4,000-yard passer in general would mean Nix is continuing to develop, and Denver's offense is improving.
