Sean Payton Breaks Down Why Bo Nix’s Passing Retreat Matters for Broncos

Last month, Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant spilled the beans on Bo Nix's plan to host a passing "retreat." The rookie dished the news during an appearance on the Up & Adams Show.

"[Nix] called me the same night of the draft, and then three or four days later, we all were in the group chat and he was telling us, 'We're all going to be taking a quarterback-receivers retreat.' [I'm] pretty excited to get around the guys," Bryant said.

At that point, Bryant had yet to practice with Nix and his veteran teammates. Since then, the Broncos have completed each phase of the offseason training program, with mandatory minicamp finishing up on Thursday.

That leaves a long six-week stretch in between mandatory minicamp and training camp, also known as the NFL summer. We call it the NFL desert. It offers players some downtime to recharge their batteries and gear up for the slog of the 17-game regular season.

It's also the period that NFL quarterbacks like to gather their receivers and tight ends, and hold a passing camp, or as Bryant described it, a retreat. That's A-okay, as far as Broncos head coach Sean Payton is concerned; he saw Drew Brees do it for years during their time together with the New Orleans Saints.

It translated to a lot of success for Brees. Peyton Manning used to do it as well during his four-year tenure with the Broncos.

Fans will remember that Jarrett Stidham hosted a private passing camp with teammates last year. Fast forward to the summer of 2025, and this is Nix's team.

“I think most teams do it. Drew would have them come to San Diego," Payton said on Thursday. "These guys will go work out for three days. I think it’s just spending time together, and I don’t think it’s unusual. That is their time.”

It's an opportunity to bond and hone on-field chemistry, and for a rookie like Bryant, it represents more reps to get on the same page with Nix. Bryant is a physical receiver, and very willing to stick his nose into the running game and block, but those extra reps with Nix could pay dividends in the fall.

Payton complimented Bryant's explosiveness off the line of scrimmage and the reliability of his hands, especially in traffic. Bryant only dropped one pass in his final season at Illinois. With the offseason training program in the books, Payton confirmed that he'd "absolutely" seen Bryant's explosiveness and hands translating to the practice field at Broncos HQ.

Nix's coming passing retreat is also a great opportunity for him to improve and get better. Players and coaches raved about Nix throughout the offseason, observing that he looks different; more confident, less thinking, faster in his decision-making, more demanding.

We only got to hear from Nix once during the Broncos' minicamps this spring and summer, but it sounds like he would concur with his coaches and teammates.

“I feel like I’m a lot further [along]. Just spitting out play calls a lot easier and just processing," Nix said back on May 29. "It’s a lot better and a lot more enjoyable not thinking right now as opposed to what I was doing last year. It’s fun, it’s fun to be in the know and it’s fun to have a little more of an understanding of what’s going on, so I can be a little more beneficial to others and help them out along the way.”

Processing... that was one of the buzzwords during the 2024 draft that Payton kept mentioning as it related to the Broncos' search for a franchise quarterback. Payton clearly found that quick processor in Nix, and it paid off immediately with a playoff berth.

With that steep rookie learning curve now in the books, Nix has seen a lot of live-bullet action. 18 starts as a rookie, counting playoffs, provides one heck of an NFL education. And in roughly six weeks, we'll get to see more of how it served him in training camp.

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We don't yet know what dates Nix plans to host his passing "retreat," or where it'll be. But when it happens, we'll do our best to provide you coverage.