Getty
Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos looks on while leaving the field after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bo Nix has led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back wins and postseason berths in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, a trend the franchise has not experienced since Peyton Manning was in the second-year quarterback’s place.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters on Thursday, “I’m glad he’s ours.”
That sort of trend bodes well for the Broncos. It also brings with it a harsh reality that one of Nix’s teammates summed up matter-of-factly ahead of the group’s most important game together.
Bo Nix Reality Check Looms Large for Broncos
GettyBo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos warms up before facing the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Broncos selected Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft, making him the sixth QB off the board in the class. This past offseason, emboldened by Nix’s success as a rookie, the Broncos bolstered their roster in free agency in ways they could not before his first campaign.
Denver had to navigate salary cap constraints after cutting Russell Wilson from his five-year, $245 million contract.
As Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims noted, Nix will soon put the franchise in a similar spot.
“Bo’s going to get a big contract & it’s going to clamp us in the salary cap and all that stuff,” The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson reported on X on January 14. “At the end of the day, we just got to keep going out here and playing ball and just keep progressing as a team.”
Over The Cap projects the Broncos will have $33.4 million in cap space next offseason. But they also face the prospects of five starters among their crop of pending free agents this spring.
Nix’s new deal will make it more difficult to construct rosters like this Broncos team.
There are ways to overcome those constraints. The Broncos must continue to draft well, regardless of what other decisions they make, to continue infusing their roster with young, cost-controlled talent.
They can also let some of their veteran free agents walk with hopes of replacing them in the draft or with younger options on the open market.
Broncos GM George Paton, HC Sean Payton in Spotlight
GettyDenver Broncos general manager George Paton listens to head coach Sean Payton.
Nix was Payton’s hand-picked QB prospect, in a decision supported by Broncos general manager George Paton. It will fall on the latter two to continue surrounding Nix with the requisite talent to maximize his skill set as he ages out of his current pay rate.
That is a good thing for the Broncos, since it would mean that Nix continued to deliver on the promise he has shown over his first two seasons.
It is also a new reality for this Broncos regime, which had its first winning season in 2024.
Nix turned down being a Pro Bowler as a rookie, but adding one or more over the next couple of seasons would only add to the bottom line when it is time for his representatives and the Broncos to negotiate a new deal.
There is no guarantee Nix will seek as much as he possibly can on a new deal, but the Broncos will be on the hook for a substantial raise that will have a significant impact on their planning.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
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