Broncos QB Bo Nix Sends Strong Message After Coach Makes Bold Claim

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that he believes second-year quarterback Bo Nix can be one of the “top four or five” players at his position. Nix, however appreciative, put those comments into fitting perspective.

Nix set numerous franchise rookie records, helped lead the team to double-digit wins, and snapped a playoff drought as a rookie.

To achieve the heights Payton has laid out for him, though, Nix knows there is more work to do.

“First, it’s good to have a coach that believes in you. But it’s also, if he believes that, I know I got a lot of work to do to get there. I don’t want to let that word go void. I want to give my best shot at going out there and doing that. Not just, obviously, for him, for our team, for this organization. But for myself. We’ve put a lot of hard work into this. Each and every day, it’s a battle, it’s a grind, and we just want to see the fruits of our labor,” Nix told reporters on August 7.

“I think that’s, obviously, our goal. And we talk about Super Bowls, talking about winning culture. That helps a lot in being the best I can be.”

“He’s going to be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the league the next two years,” Payton told Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson in comments published on August 3. “That’s what we’re seeing right now. He doesn’t take sacks. He’s got exceptional arm strength.

“He can throw in funny body angles.”

Payton reiterated those sentiments in comments to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, forecasting supertardom for Nix and a place among the top QBs “within the next two years.”

Bo Nix Echos Sean Payton About Broncos’ Goal for 2025

Nix and Payton have long been on the same page, and that includes their lofty goals for the Broncos in 2025.

Payton told Robinson he believes this Bronos team can win a Super Bowl, and he echoed those sentiments after practice on August 4, pointing to Nix among the myriad reasons for such a lofty projection.

Nix agrees with the ceiling this Broncos team has.

“We should all be wanting to go win a Super Bowl. If we’re not trying to win a Super Bowl, why are we here? If you’re not trying to be the best of the best in your particular area,” Nix said. “I believe that’s why you go out there and play the game. You go out there to play the game to be the best, beat the best, and I feel good about our team. But that is not just thrown around. It’s not easy to do, obviously, and we got a lot of work to go to go get that goal.”

Nix, Payton, and the Broncos will open the 2025 regular season and begin their Super Bowl push at home against the Tennessee Titans.

49er HC Kyle Shanahan Gets Honest About Bo Nix

The Broncos held joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday ahead of their preseason-opening tilt. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan gave a glowing review of Nix, noting his team’s interest in the No. 12 overall pick of the 2024 draft.

“I’m a huge fan of him. We loved him coming out of college, and I thought what he did last year was unbelievable,” Shanahan told reporters on August 7. “Anytime you got a quarterback with a big arm, who was very mobile, made of the right stuff, extremely tough – they got a real good one.”

The 49ers, who have their quarterback in former “Mr. Irrelevant” and fourth-year pro Brock Purdy, selected wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Nix and the Broncos can show Shanahan what the 49ers missed out on August 9.