Former QB Puts NFL on Notice: 'Watch Out' for Bo Nix in 2025

The Denver Broncos' approach to the 2025 NFL draft is far removed from what they were fixated on last year. No doubt, Sean Payton enjoyed most of the process of identifying a rookie quarterback to develop, but it still gave rise to paranoia that prized Oregon passer Bo Nix might be drafted ahead of the Broncos.

Of course, Nix landed safe and sound with Payton, and he went on to become a bonafide NFL Rookie of the Year contender. The former Ducks star threw for 29 touchdowns and found paydirt a total of 34 times, which included a highlight-reel leaping touchdown grab against the Baltimore Ravens, and four rushing scores.

Nix's impressive rookie campaign conclusively made a believer out of NBC Sports' Chris Simms, despite numerous detractors taking their best shots at the Broncos quarterback along the way.

"Last year, the big thing was age," Simms said via The Denver Post's Troy Renck. "Age, age, age, (Bleep) the age. He had experience. He was mature. He could handle a guy like Sean Payton. He aced all of the tests. He's legit. I'm happy for Sean, the Broncos and Bo. To the people who doubted him, he's Drew Brees Jr. in my opinion. I think he is a better athlete and that his arm is a hair stronger than Drew's was in his prime."

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Those once fanciful Brees comparisons now hold plenty of water these days, even if they provide plenty of low-hanging fruit for analysts to feast upon. Even so, in more general terms, Nix still gets a fair degree of disrespect on a national level, and that's rather puzzling for a number of reasons.

Most of the negative spin comes from the perception that Nix doesn't have truly elite mobility or lacks the type of deep-ball arm needed to consistently take the top off a defense. That false narrative got incinerated more than once last year, which gave credence to Simms' opinion that Nix has more moves and even just marginally a slightly better canon than Brees had in his prime.

Nix's proficiency working alongside Payton was inevitably going to give rise to the notion that history is repeating itself between quarterback and head coach. But this time around, it's happening at a much higher altitude.

While some might be looking for Nix to regress and somehow prove the doubters right, Simms feels the Broncos' signal caller will only get better and keep proving people wrong.

"We are in this world right now where nobody can ever say they were wrong in their draft evaluation," Simms said via Renck. "They have to make an excuse. A star fell from the galaxy and would have been a star but the star hit him and now he can't be. Nix hasn't hit his ceiling. I would say watch the (bleep) out. It's going to keep going up."

Moving forward, navigating the tricky challenges thrown at any second-year quarterback will require ever more guidance for Payton. Indeed, those crucial 61 games Nix played in college will continue to provide a solid foundation for him, but it will now give way to intelligently counteracting how NFL opponents will break down his pro tape and choose to attack him.

There's a comfort inside and outside of Denver that Nix can deal with those challenges as he moves into the next stage of his development. It's also very familiar territory for Payton to introduce his quarterback to more nuance and complexity within the offense.

That’s a major factor that, by September, will hopefully have seen the Broncos unearth a new joker weapon and more weapons around Nix. Payton will feel he's in a good position to attack the second act of his quarterback's development with confidence and real gusto in 2025.

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