Broncos' Sean Payton adds to Bo Nix hype with bold prediction

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton believes his team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender after quarterback and 2024 first-round draft pick Bo Nix was better than advertised as a rookie starter. 

During a recent chat with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Payton gave the Nix hype train some extra momentum via a bold prediction regarding what the 25-year-old will be a couple of years down the road.

"I honestly think he’s gonna be one of the top quarterbacks within the next two years," Payton said about Nix. "I think he’s going to be a superstar."

Some suggested in the spring of 2024 that Payton and Co. reached when they made Nix the 12th overall pick of last year's draft. Nix then went 10-7 as a starter as he guided the club to a playoff berth. 

Per Pro Football Reference, Nix ended the 2024 regular season ranked sixth in the NFL with 29 touchdown passes, 12th with 3,775 passing yards and 19th among qualified players with a 56.8 adjusted QBR. In total, 23 quarterbacks took more sacks than Nix (24) during the campaign. 

According to StatMuse, no signal-caller took more sacks than Russell Wilson did with the Broncos from Week 1 of the 2022 campaign through the end of the 2023 regular season. 

"Who gets the blame? 'God, the line’s gotta get better.' And it’s always the line. The sack is a quarterback stat," Payton added. "We had 24 [in 2024]. I had Bobby Hoying [in the late 1990s], third-round pick. Man, he was a great-looking prospect. He took three or four sacks a game. It’s a processing thing. It’s decision-making, multi-tasking, ball out."

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Broncos at -140 betting odds to make the playoffs for the upcoming season. Somewhat interestingly, that same outlet had Nix and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams at +3500 odds to claim the Most Valuable Player Award for the campaign. 

If Nix can follow in Stafford's footsteps through early 2026, Payton could be right about the current Denver squad competing for more than just a postseason berth.