Sean Payton Puts the NFL On Notice With Bold Bo Nix Prediction

Sean Payton isn't in the habit of making himself look foolish. Far be it from Payton to go out on a limb and leave himself dangling.

That's why when Payton told Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports that he sees the 2025 Denver Broncos as a bona fide Super Bowl contender, people's ears perked up around the NFL. That declaration was followed up by an even bolder claim about quarterback Bo Nix.

Payton told Robinson that he sees Nix becoming one of the NFL's top quarterbacks over the next "two years." Doubling down on those remarks, Payton got even more specific with Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, who has just returned from a day spent at Broncos training camp.

“I honestly think he’s gonna be one of the top quarterbacks within the next two years,” Payton told Breer. “I think he’s going to be a superstar.”

This is music to Broncos Country's ears. And considering the source, and what we've seen from Nix thus far, it doesn't sound all that far-fetched.

Nix still has his critics and detractors. I call them "bitter clingers," hanging onto pre-draft predictions that Nix wouldn't go in the first round and post-draft grades that the Broncos reached.

Despite the negativity, all Nix did in Year 1 was turn in a historic rookie season. Nix became the Broncos' first rookie quarterback since John Elway in 1983 to start a season opener. But that was just an appetizer.

The main course would follow in the form of a 10-win season and the Broncos returning to the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 nine years prior. Along the way, Nix passed for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading all rookie quarterbacks (even Jayden Daniels, the Offensive Rookie of the Year).

Nix's first few games were marked by the traditional acclimation process any rookie quarterback must undergo as he navigates the trial-and-error learning curve. By October, he was cooking with gas, as Payton continued to open up the playbook game by game.

Nix threw 21 touchdowns over the Broncos' final eight games of the season. Extrapolate that over an entire 17-game schedule, and we'd be talking about a touchdown total north of 40.

Now, there's alway the fear of the dreaded "sophomore slump," but Nix has been innoculated against such viral quarterback strains thanks to Payton's presence. I could see some people worrying about a year-two regression from Nix, in a vaccum, because he was that good as a rookie.

But with Payton at his side, it's hard to see Nix taking a step backward. Plus, what we've seen from Nix through the Broncos' offseason training program and the first couple of weeks of training camp has left no cause for concern.

Nix has looked more in command, more intense, and much farther along in the Payton scheme. Throw in a top-two offensive line and a skill-position supporting cast that's been replenished with some significant upgrades, and it's understandable why his head coach is so giddy.

"He’s light years further along," Payton said of Nix on Monday. "He’s doing well.”

Broncos Country at large will get its first look at the 2025 version of Nix in Saturday's first preseason game vs. the San Francisco 49ers. Payton intimated earlier this week that Nix and the starters will play.