The Denver Broncos will have two quarterbacks during their rookie minicamp and three more on their official 90-man roster. However, Broncos starter Bo Nix is the one whose future matters most entering 2025, and the narrative around him has changed.
National analyst Ian Eagle recalled a conversation with Broncos head coach Sean Payton about Nix. Eagle said Payton saw the vision for Nix before the numbers backed the Broncos QB up.
This offseason, Eagle noted, the view of Nix and the Broncos is vastly different.
“Just really impressed with how he carried himself throughout the season. Obviously, the connection between Payton and Nix, you could feel the trust level. I had them early. Had them in that Jets game early in the season, when Payton in our production meeting basically went on and on to say, ‘No, no, no, no. This guy’s the guy, and we know it.’ And it was still when the stats weren’t backing up all of the plaudits,” Eagle said on “Orange & Blue Today” on May 7.
“For the Broncos, it was really a starting point, and I just saw a confident quarterback. I think there’s a belief within that team, and there’s certainly a belief with Sean Payton, that the guy knows how to win, knows how to run a program. He’s a problem solver. He’ll figure it out, he’ll do it in his way, by the way. He’s not going to change for anybody. He’s going to do it the way that he does it. So I would tell you that it’s a lot of positive energy in the offseason from a national perspective with Denver that they can take the next step.”
The over/under on the Broncos’ win total was 5.5 games in 2024, per Sports Odds History. The team won 10 games and, by most accounts, improved this offseason. Per ESPN Bet, which uses Sports Odds History as a reference, the Broncos’ projection in March for 2025 is 9.5 wins.
Nix set Broncos rookie passing records for attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns.
He is second in the club’s history in completion percentage and passer rating among rookies. Nix also led the Broncos to their first playoff berth since 2015.
The Broncos have given even more reason to believe that Nix is still ascending, which is counterintuitive to many reactions when he entered the league as an older prospect. However, while Nix’s ceiling was doubted, his fit with Payton was not.
National Media on Bo Nix: ‘Uh Oh’
GettyBo Nix is garnering positive national attention after a historic rookie season.
Eagle’s comments drew a “wow” from show host Andrew Mason, who remarked on how “different” the sentiments about Nix and the Broncos were from the same timeframe in 2024. Co-host Cecil Lammey noted that the change has been evident.
“That national narrative is something to keep track of. We’re embedded, we’re local. You’re at every game. I’m in the locker room. You’re in the locker room every time it’s open. We’re
seeing it,” Lammey told Mason. “National guys are talking to Sean Payton, and they’re giving you a vibe, a sense of what the nation thinks. The nation thinks, ‘Uh oh. Sean Payton found his franchise quarterback.’”
“Around the nation, they think that Sean Payton’s putting it together, and that this team is about to make a challenge to Kansas City,” Mason said.
“This doesn’t mean that you’re going to see a lot of people picking the Broncos to knock off the Chiefs in the AFC West as you take a look at a lot of prognostications heading into the 2025 season. I think what you’re going to see a lot of is Broncos wild card, Broncos No. 5 seed, No. 6 seed. So, playoff team.”
The Broncos also did Nix and themselves several favors this offseason.
Broncos Bolstered Team Around Bo Nix During Offseason
GettyThe Broncos added even more playmakers around Bo Nix this offseason.
The Broncos took advantage of the fact that Nix is on his rookie contract, bolstering their defense with linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency and drafting Jahdae Barron No. 20 overall to bolster the league’s No. 3 scoring defense.
Free agency also saw the Broncos add tight end Evan Engram, and Nix made his presence felt. The draft yielded playmakers in wide receiver Pat Bryant and running back RJ Harvey.
If Bryant, Devaughn Vele, Marvin Mims, or Troy Franklin claim WR2, the Broncos will be set.
They already have a top-flight offensive line and Courtland Sutton as their No. 1 option in the passing game. In Nix, it also appears the Broncos have their first true franchise quarterback since Peyton Manning in 2015.
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