Payton: Bo Nix Spent 4 or 5 Days With Drew Brees This Offseason

There's no question that the Denver Broncos have a good head coach/quarterback marriage. When Bo Nix was an NFL draft prospect, he was often compared to former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, which made his fit with Broncos head coach Sean Payton seem rather obvious to those paying attention.

On Wednesday, Payton took to the podium following a training camp practice session, and as he was remarking on why and how Nix was such a good fit for the Broncos, he revealed that his young quarterback sought out and spent time with Brees during this offseason.

"Look, he's someone that works his tail off, wants to improve. The whole offseason is planned out," Payton said of Nix. "He's gone and visited Brees for four or five days and has Tom House. And there's a lot that he wants to absorb in a fast period of time, and that's a great thing for a young player like that. We're never just going to pick up from where we left off, but there's a lot of building to do when we look at last year and a lot of positive things to look at."

What happens next on the Broncos beat? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Nix would end up being the sixth quarterback drafted in the first round last year, despite going No. 12 overall to the Broncos. His romping rookie season, which was punctuated by a playoff berth that snapped Denver's previous eight-year drought, was impressive and historic.

Nix led all rookie quarterbacks in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns. You read that right; even more than the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels.

Nix's ardent skeptics and critics, many of whom predicted he'd be a Day 2 draft pick, were keen to chalk that success up to the lottery of being drafted by Payton, instead of giving credit where it's due. It helps that Payton's expertise as a head coach is on the offensive side of the ball, and that's only compounded by the fact that he also calls the plays.

There's no doubt that Payton was a big reason for Nix's rookie success, but whenever terms like "a good marriage" or "a good fit" get thrown around on the subject of a quarterback, the veteran coach is wary of it taking scrutiny away from the player's hard work.

"I think that can vary depending on—it's easier to say that when you're talking to a head coach that works primarily with the offensive side of the ball and is involved in the play-calling," Payton said. "But I think oftentimes it's used in a way—and sometimes, I said this, I think, in the offseason, like, this was the perfect fit. Who's not interested in that player? It almost discredits the athlete. But it fits the narrative for those that had him ranked where they had him. So we're never going to get away from our narratives, are we? We're going to hold onto 'we were right' with that narrative. And so, 'well, that was the right fit. That's a great marriage, and that explains any success and all success.'"

Payton clearly is enjoying how the Nix critics are eating their hearts out, and doesn't mean twisting the knife when he gets the chance at the podium. But Payton is also ever the pragmatist, and he understands that being the offensive play-caller as a head coach can have an outsized impact on a young quarterback's early production.

"I think maybe it applies more to a head coach that's maybe more involved in one side of the ball or the other," Payton summed up his answer to what helps forge a good head coach/quarterback marriage.

Broncos fans are already excited by Nix, but they'll be even more encouraged after hearing that he spent some time with Brees this summer. Brees was a veteran when Payton handpicked him to be his quarterback in New Orleans back in 2006, and he would go on to produce a Hall-of-Fame caliber career, and the two won a Super Bowl in the 2009 season.

“Drew lives in San Diego and he spent some time going there," Payton said of Nix. "[It was about] the schedule and wanting to know more about the offense. I don't even know when he went but I just know he went. It was him doing more research at the position.”

Brees has forgotten more about the Payton offense than we'll ever know, which makes him the ideal sounding board for a young quarterback like Nix entering just his second year. Brees was a 12-time Pro Bowler in New Orleans and led the league seven times in passing yards and four times in passing touchdowns.

And yet, Nix already looks like a bigger, faster, and stronger version of Brees. But, to use Payton's verbiage, constantly comparing Nix to a future Hall-of-Famer like Brees also "discredits" him a little bit.

Recommended Articles