Broncos' Massive Bo Nix Bargain Reflected in Latest QB Rankings

If you think about it, Bo Nix should be ranked first on this particular list.

Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws downfield during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Winning while your star quarterback is still playing on his rookie contract is the epitome of what NFL general managers aspire to after drafting a signal-caller. Denver Broncos GM George Paton is doing everything he can to ensure his team wins now while keeping one eye firmly on the future regarding quarterback Bo Nix's coming contract extension. 

In the present, it's about making calculated moves to provide Nix with the weaponry he needs to continue helping the Broncos compete at the highest level. On that front, the offseason arrival of game-changing wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins was a major statement of intent. 

How these 2026 offseason moves will shake out is anyone's guess, but the AFC championship game only proved how much the Broncos' Super Bowl aspirations hinge upon Nix's health.

NFL.com's Nick Shook sees the bigger picture and the distance Nix and the Broncos have already traveled since he was drafted in the first round in 2024. Shook ranked Nix at No. 4 on his list of the top 15 quarterbacks playing on a rookie contract this season. 

"This partnership is aging beautifully. Back in 2024, Denver's selection of Nix at No. 12 overall raised some eyebrows. Now, two years later, he's cemented himself as the Broncos' franchise quarterback, having nearly led them to the Super Bowl in Year 2," Shook wrote.

"OK, so his sophomore campaign wasn't a complete success; honest Denver fans will admit Nix and the offense struggled to produce consistently through the first half of the season. (Remember that 13-11 win over the Jets in London in Week 6?) But once he and the Broncos figured it out, they rolled, only falling short after Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the final stages of their win over Buffalo in the Divisional Round. If Nix effectively builds on that campaign in 2026, he'll be in line for a lucrative extension next offseason."

Bo's Bang For the Buck

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix (10) have a word before facing the Jacksonville Jaguars. | Dustin Bradford / Icon Sportswire / Imago

Nix is providing some serious bang for the Broncos' buck entering Year 3. By leading the Broncos to the brink of the Super Bowl and winning 24 games over his first two seasons, he proved he's got the moxie in abundance. 

Nix's relatively paltry $5.1 million cap hit for the 2026 season is half that of the trio Shook ranked ahead of him. Once again, we rather predictably find a national pundit favoring Nix's fellow 2024 draft classmaters Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels in yet another quarterback ranking, but that shouldn't bother Broncos Country too much. 

Considering how Nix has put up more stats and won more games than any of those quarterbacks, and at half the price, you'd think he would rank first on such a list. Alas, some tropes die hard.

Everyone within the Broncos' inner circle knows how perfectly suited Nix is to what head coach Sean Payton is trying to pull off in Denver. That also puts the onus on Paton to carefully weigh up the long-term fiscal ramifications of being squarely in a Super Bowl window. 

This entails investing just enough in the supporting cast surrounding Nix before he has to pay the man himself, but along the way, Paton still has to guard against becoming gun-shy. Paton will soon face the classic contractual conundrum of paying a franchise quarterback, but thankfully, it's one he should be more than happy to grapple with as the Broncos move forward. 

The Takeaway

Figuring out how to pay a young franchise quarterback you drafted is a good problem to have. And in the meantime, it's about striking while that iron is red-hot, as the going rate for quarterbacks of Nix's ilk can range from $40-$60 million per year. At $5.1 million this year, the Broncos are getting a massive bargain in Nix.

As other general managers search for a dynamic answer under center, the Broncos will be working out the correct time to write a hefty check to Nix, while striving to continue stacking games in the win column.

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