Bo Nix Predicted to Join Elway, Manning in Broncos Record Book

Coming off a historic rookie debut, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is projected to ascend to even more rarefied air in 2025.

A to Z Sports recently predicted that Nix will eclipse 4,000 passing yards this upcoming season, joining John Elway, Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler, and Jake Plummer as the only QBs in franchise history to accomplish such a feat.

"Give me over 4,089 for Bo Nix in 2025 after he logged 3,775 passing yards as a rookie last season," NFL analyst Kyle Crabbs wrote on July 3. "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."

"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," Crabbs' coworker, Destin Adams, affirmed. "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."

Unsurprisingly, given the misery at the position since his retirement, Manning is the last Broncos signal-caller to hit the 4,000-yard passing mark, doing so over a decade ago in 2014 — his final year as a full-time starter.

Surprisingly, considering the prebaked narratives, Nix fell just shy of breaking the schneid, finishing with 3,775 air yards while completing 66.3 percent of his pass attempts. This, despite any semblance of a running game and lack of a bona fide No. 2 receiver.

The Broncos attempted to rectify that this offseason, adding RBs JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey, WR Pat Bryant, and tight end Evan Engram through free agency and the draft. This, filtering through an elite offensive line already in place.

What was once the ceiling for Nix is now the floor.

These aren't hot takes — they're rightful expectations.

“It’s a lot different," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said in May. "We don’t use that term, ‘Pick up where we left off,’ but just the processing [and] understanding of what we’re doing in and out of the huddle. These three days—as you’re watching each decision, [the throws are] where you want the ball to go. I think it’s entirely different.”