Courtland Sutton Explains Why Bo Nix's Energy is Like a Caged Animal

The Denver Broncos are looking to make up for lost time.

After the football fates robbed the Broncos of the chance to fully capitalize on their 14-win season and a hard-fought overtime playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills — thanks to Bo Nix's untimely ankle fracture — there's a palpable pent-up energy at Dove Valley.

It all starts with Nix, who can't wait for the opportunity to return to the gridiron with his teammates on Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton has felt Nix's energy, and he saw all the painstaking work his quarterback put in this offseason to return to the Broncos as good as new.

"I’m excited. I’m a little nervous for everybody else just because he’s a competitor," Sutton said of Nix on Wednesday. "You guys may not have gotten to see it because a lot of it was behind the scenes, but seeing the way that things ended last year and understanding the type of player he is and the competitor that he is, I was just excited to see him get out there and go throw the ball around a little bit in the preseason. But to see where his mindset is already, transitioning it into our bonus day and then rolling into today, and then knowing just how he is, I’m looking forward to watching him go out there and shake on Monday night."

Sutton likened Nix to a caged animal — a predator that's been barred from fulfilling its animal instinct.

"He’s like a— I don’t know —like a mountain lion that’s in the zoo that’s just pacing," Sutton said of Nix. "I saw a mountain lion at the Colorado Zoo. He was just pacing back and forth, and I was like, 'Y’all don’t want that boy to get out. It’s not going to be good.' But that’s what Bo reminds me of. Mentally, you can tell that he’s just like, 'I’m ready to go do this.'"

Both Nix and Sutton were announced as team captains for the 2026 season, selected again by their teammates to lead. It's the third straight year that Nix has been selected as a team captain, and the sixth consecutive season that Sutton will wear the 'C' on his chest.

For what it's worth, Nix agreed with Sutton's mountain lion comparison.

Nix Has Been Watching and Waiting

Courtland Sutton and Bo Nix. — Courtland Sutton and Bo Nix celebrate a touchdown against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“I guess that is a good comparison and one that I will take," Nix said on Wednesday. "I definitely think the thing about mountain lions is usually that when you notice them, it’s because they noticed you a long time ago. I’m just excited to get out there."

Due to his recovery from two offseason ankle surgeries, the Broncos were cautious with Nix's live-bullet exposure in the preseason. He only played in Game 2 — leading the first-team offense on two drives and scoring points on both (10 total).

Beyond that one taste of actual football against an outside opponent, it's been rehab and practice for Nix. Entering Year 3, he's ready to get back to competing against opponents who aren't wearing the same jersey he is.

"I feel like I’m pacing, and feel like I’ve been in this practice schedule for a long time. It’s exciting to go out there and play another team," Nix said. "It’s really exciting, and I know that our guys are going to respond well. I feel like I have a great group with me that I’m going in here with. I can’t wait.”

Making the Right Kind of History on MNF

Bo Nix, Patrick Mahomes — Bo Nix (10) talks with Patrick Mahomes (15) after the game. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Nix will be making his fifth career start against the Chiefs in Week 1. The primetime lights of Monday Night Football will be shining down on him.

Beyond the obvious imperative of winning the game, Nix also has the chance to move up the Broncos' record books against the Chiefs. If he throws two touchdown passes, he'll tie the late Craig Morton and Jay Cutler for the fifth-most games with multiple passing scores in Broncos history.

If Nix manages to throw three touchdowns, he'll take sole possession of the fourth-most. Time will tell whether he can climb the Broncos' record books in this specific area, but he's not worried about that; it's all about beating the Chiefs and starting the 2026 season on the right foot.

Nix is 3-1 against the Chiefs all-time, and while he notched his first-ever win at Arrowhead Stadium late last season, it wasn't against Patrick Mahomes. In fact, the Broncos have never defeated the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium with Mahomes in the lineup.

Mahomes will be returning to the field on Monday night against Denver for the first time since suffering a multi-ligament knee injury in Week 15 last season. When it comes to making history, Nix and the Broncos are focused on notching their first win over Mahomes in his house.

Ready for the 'Big Challenge'

Nix relishes the opportunity to do just that — and in front of a national audience on Monday night. And it wasn't that long ago that the Broncos had fallen out of favor with the NFL's primetime schedule-makers due to eight long years of football ignominy following Super Bowl 50. Nix doesn't take the Monday night opportunity lightly.

“Absolutely, it doesn’t get old. It’s very exciting," Nix said of playing on Monday night. "It means that you are in a really good spot as an organization, but it’s also a great responsibility. You get put on Monday Night Football in Week 1, it means you have something to go out there and prove."

If the Broncos can get defeat Mahomes and company in Week 1, they'll be making a statement. After dethroning the Chiefs for the AFC West crown last season, a season-opening win would signal to the NFL that the division's new champions are a force to be reckoned with still.

"We’re excited as a team," Nix said. "It’s going to be a really big challenge, but one that we are going to respond well to. We just have to go out there and play really hard.”

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