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Bo Nix faces shocking ESPN prediction that seems to ignore everything he proved as a rookie

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Adam Zientek | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 8:32 PM ET

The Denver Broncos believe they have found their franchise QB in Bo Nix, and it's not hard to see why. After spending a large portion of the season disrespected by the national media, Nix found his rhythm and helped lead a team to a playoff appearance in his rookie season. Just a few short days ago, San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan gushed over the QB.

In an article from ESPN titled "2025 NFL Future Power Rankings: Projections for all 32 teams," several analysts combined to give their takes on what the NFL could look like over the next couple of years. Specifically, for each team, they break down the following categories: Reason for hope, reason for concern, nugget to know, and bold prediction. For Denver, Seth Walder is turning heads with what he said about the Broncos QB1. He believes that QB1 will be out of Denver after the 2027 NFL season.

Bo Nix will not be a Denver Bronco after 2027

For his "bold prediction," Walder has Nix not only taking a step back in 2025, but has him losing the job outright over the next few years, and will be off the team entirely.

Now, we fully understand this is intentionally a bold take, but it caught us off guard nonetheless: "Nix will lose his starting job during the 2027 season, which will be his last as a Bronco. There's optimism around him now, but there's reason to be skeptical in the long term. As a rookie, his rushing led him to be decent efficiency-wise. But he ranked 28th in completion percentage over expectation (minus-2.4%) and 22nd in yards per dropback (6.16) despite playing behind a top-tier offensive line. The roster around him is great now, but it won't always be."

You'd think that after an impressive rookie campaign that the disrespect would start to die down, but it appears that some critics are doubling down. The Denver Broncos QB has plenty of bulletin board material heading into the upcoming NFL season. With what he was able to accomplish on the field, Nix earned some NFL Top 100 honors, not bad for a QB that'll supposedly be out of Denver by 2027.

Bo Nix comes in at #64 in the top 100 players list

Absolutely insane for a rookie pic.twitter.com/meZgLGrLM3
— Denver Broncos 365 (@DailyBroncos) July 24, 2025

Walder's take was somewhat contradicted by his coworker, who cited Nix as a key reason to hope heading into the season. ESPN's Benjamin Solak offered, "The Broncos look like they have a solid starting quarterback in Bo Nix and have arguably the NFL's best offensive line and best defense, led by star cornerback Pat Surtain II. What a turnaround for coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton."

A wild back and forth for Broncos fans.

Counter to Walder

Adam Holt from A to Z Sports weighed in on the Broncos QB1 situation after the slight from ESPN. Speaking on Walder's assessment, Holt offered, "Walder mentions the surrounding support for Nix in his bold take. He says that it's great now, but won't always be. Not sure I see that the same way."

Continuing, highlighting some of the recent roster moves made by the organization, "Denver just inked Courtland Sutton to a long-term contract extension. Veteran tight end Evan Engram is a great fit for Payton’s passing game and could receive a small extension next year when he’s in the final year of his current deal. As for the running back position, rookie RJ Harvey feels like a dynamic runner who will only improve with more experience at the pro level. Expect him to be in the fold for at least the next handful of years. The wide receiver depth isn’t incredibly proven, either. That room could improve, as a whole, by the time 2027 rolls around."

Putting everything into perspective, Holt offered, "As Walder notes, Nix’s protection is among the best units in the AFC. The interior of the OL is still fairly young and continues to grow. I’m not ruling out an upgrade at tackle before the end of the QB’s rookie deal, either. Feels like the overall offense around Nix will still be plenty strong after the next couple of seasons. You know Sean Payton isn’t going to overlook adding talent for the side of the ball he’s most responsible for, either."

What's next for the Denver Broncos

Luckily, Broncos fans will be able to get this bitter taste out of their mouths from the latest ESPN article, as the team is set to face off against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 of the NFL preseason. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming matchup.

Nix, once again, is on a mission to prove everyone wrong and cement himself as the franchise QB of the future for the team. The thought of Nix off the team due to poor performance is nightmare fuel for a franchise that isn't too far removed from the disastrous Russell Wilson experience.

For now, we'll just have to wait and have Nix do all the talking with his performance.

Be part of the A to Z Sports community and vote in our latest Denver Broncos poll as the preseason gets underway.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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