Bo Nix disagrees with Sean Payton's narrative on injury outlook

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Broncos' Bo Nix disagrees with HC Sean Payton's narrative on injury outlook

By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Jan 28, 2026 6:39 PM ET

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix appears to have a different outlook on his ankle injuries than head coach Sean Payton.

On Tuesday, Payton told reporters Nix was "predisposed" to have the ankle injury that ended the quarterback's season after the Broncos' 33-30 win in overtime over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.

"It wasn't a matter of ‘if,' it was a matter of ‘when,'" Payton said. "Because when you look at the play and you're trying to evaluate it, he said, the doctor, operating surgeon, said that this was going to happen, sooner than later. Now you go about the rehab, proper orthotics, all those things."

On Wednesday, Nix told reporters he thought Payton might have been confused about the situation. He doesn't believe the issue is chronic.

"Nothing predisposed, nothing that was there," Nix said, via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. "Might have been some confusion there."

Bo Nix regarding his ankle: "Nothing predisposed, nothing that was there. Might have been some confusion there."
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) January 28, 2026

Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton made a bad joke at Bo Nix's expense

During his postgame news conference after the Divisional Round, Payton appeared to make a joke to lighten the mood after he announced Nix would be out for the season. He told Nix he wouldn't have drafted him had he known about the quarterback's ankle issues in high school and at Auburn.

Nix didn't appear to take the joke well, saying Payton shouldn't have told the media how many surgeries he had.

"He doesn't really even know that, honestly," Nix said.

Payton’s joke fell flat in the news conference, moments after the second-year quarterback lost a chance to compete in the AFC championship against New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, taken No. 3 in the 2024 draft.

It doesn't appear Nix has much humor about after Denver's season ended in a 10-7 loss to the Patriots. Payton will have to be careful when speaking to the media about Nix and his ankle. The ankle injury is a sore subject for the 2024 No. 12 pick.

Jordan Sigler

Jordan Sigler is a sports writer with a decade of experience as a journalist, including his time as a breaking news/day cops reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. His sports coverage across the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, and college football world has also been featured at ChiCitySports, Gridiron Heroics, Pro Football Network, and Athlon Sports. Based in Austin, Texas, Jordan graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas Tech University in 2014

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