Rookie Bo Nix is about to join an exclusive group, following in the footsteps of John Elway in more ways than one. On Wednesday, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton revealed that Nix would be the team’s starting quarterback for the next season.
When Nix hits the field against the Seattle Seahawks on September 8, he will become the first Denver rookie quarterback to start a season-opening since Elway in 1983.
“Obviously, it’s an honor to be mentioned alongside a player like John Elway,” Nix told reporters. “But at the end of the day, the goal is to get that first win, compete at a high level, and put our team in the best position to succeed.”
Payton made the decision with little fanfare, notifying Nix and backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham soon before Wednesday’s practice. “We didn’t have cake, candles, or anything,” Payton joked. He said that he had not yet informed the rest of the squad, even at the post-practice huddle.
“We’re not rushing to make these decisions; we need to see it first,” Payton told reporters. “Nix has been excellent, but there is still a lot of space for development. He still has a lot to improve on, but he’s showed great maturity.”
Nix has been playing the majority of plays with the starting offense last week, including Friday’s joint practice against the Green Bay Packers. He then began Sunday’s preseason game against the Packers, completing 8-of-9 passes for 80 yards and a score as the Broncos won 27-2 at Empower Field in Mile High.
Over two preseason games, Nix led the Broncos on touchdown drives in six of the seven possessions he played, and the team routinely earned first downs, even against the Indianapolis Colts and Packers’ defensive backups.
Nix said that Payton promptly notified him of the starting choice before practice. “He just walked up and said he’d tell the media this afternoon, so let’s have some good practice,” Nix added with a smile. “But honestly, we’ve been training every day as if we were the starter, so when you go in with that attitude, nothing really changes when you get the call. It’s become an everyday occurrence.”
Nix also cited the intense rivalry between Stidham and Zach Wilson as motivating him to succeed. “I’ve learned a lot from those guys, and I wouldn’t be here without them challenging me,” Nix said. “I’m really grateful for that.”
Throughout the summer and the first week of training camp, Nix, Stidham, and Wilson received equal repetitions with the starting offense. However, from the second week of camp on, only Nix and Stidham worked with the starters, with Nix taking the majority of first-team snaps last week.
Nix is the Broncos’ highest-drafted quarterback since Jay Cutler, who was selected 11th overall in 2006. Nix also becomes the first rookie quarterback to start a season under Payton, who is currently in his 18th season as an NFL head coach.
Since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2015, the Broncos have missed the playoffs eight years in a row. Denver finished 8-9 last season, Payton’s first with the organization. Nix will be the Broncos’ 13th different quarterback—and 14th overall—to start a game since their Super Bowl victory.
Payton benched the team’s former long-term quarterback hope, Russell Wilson, in December 2023, keeping him out for the last two weeks of the season. Wilson was released in March, and general manager George Paton disclosed that Nix was one of six quarterbacks given first-round grades in the Broncos’ April selection.
Payton has often commended Nix’s maturity, decision-making, accuracy, and composure under duress. Nix’s considerable collegiate experience—61 games spread over five seasons at Auburn and Oregon—has undoubtedly prepared him for this moment.
Nix will become just the second rookie quarterback to start for Payton’s New Orleans Saints, after Ian Book, who did so in 2021. Before the Broncos’ offseason program started in April, Nix had gone above and beyond to prepare for the competition, even soliciting the assistance of veteran NFL quarterback Philip Rivers to help him adjust to the league.
