How Bo Nix Became the NFL's Best Bargain Player of 2025

The Broncos are getting insane value from Bo Nix, and several other young players.

Jan 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs with the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

In the wake of the tectonic decision to release Russell Wilson and incur a league-record $85 million in dead-money charges to the salary cap, the Denver Broncos activated a mini-rebuild back in 2024.

In order for it to succeed, the Broncos would need to find a good young quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft and get skinny on the salary cap. The latter requirement meant moving on from some higher-paid established veterans, like safety Justin Simmons, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, and others.

Under Sean Payton's leadership, the Broncos would rely on their youth and let the chips fall as they navigated the first two years post-Wilson and all that dead money. Thanks to drafting the right quarterback in April of 2024, and several other savvy personnel acquisitions, the Broncos shrugged off the Wilson dead money like it wasn't even there.

The Broncos won 24 regular-season games over the ensuing two seasons, making the playoffs in both years with Bo Nix. The Broncos even unseated the Kansas City Chiefs as AFC West champions last season, clinched the No. 1 seed, and won a playoff game, advancing to the conference championship.

The Broncos had to rely on development and production from their young quarterback and the youth on the roster, along with some well-placed veterans. And it paid dividends.

One reflection of how successful the Broncos have been in guiding their youth through the developmental learning curve with alacrity is a study by InGame's Ted Dahlstrom, who laid out which NFL players provided the best value based on their salaries.

The Broncos had three young players on offense in the top 10 highest value, including Nix, who ranked first among all NFL quarterbacks last season with an index score of 100, even higher than New England's Drake Maye.

"Topping our ranking as the best value for money quarterback is Bo Nix, who is paid $2,487,106. Nix helped the Denver Broncos win the AFC West and make it all the way to the AFC Championship game, earning a 14-3 regular season record along the way. During the 2025 regular season, Nix contributed 25 touchdowns and had 3,931 passing yards, proving to be the most cost-effective quarterback," Dahlstrom wrote.

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The Value of Franklin & Harvey

Oct 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) celebrates with wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) and quarterback Bo Nix (10) after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Also ranked in the top 10 at their respective positions were wide receiver Troy Franklin (second) and running back RJ Harvey (ninth). Franklin's index score was 96.3, while Harvey's was 65.9. That's pretty impressive, considering these players' relative inexperience last season, especially Harvey, who was a second-round rookie.

Dahlstrom didn't have a blurb about Harvey, but he was duly impressed by Franklin's Year 2 contributions relative to his paycheck.

"Joining his teammate Bo Nix on this list, Troy Franklin is another player who provides great value. Earning $1,075,000 and managing to rack up 709 receiving yards and six touchdowns during the regular season, Franklin has proven to be a steal in relation to his salary. He was also another helping hand to the Broncos side that reached the AFC Championship game," Dahlstrom wrote.

Broncos Are Drafting & Developing

Payton's coaching staff has done a great job of developing young players, including incumbents who were drafted before he was hired. Rush linebackers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are great examples of this, though they don't count in any best-value analysis because both earned contract extensions before the 2025 season.

Other examples include cornerbacks Riley Moss and Ja'Quan McMillian, offensive linemen Quinn Meinerz and Luke Wattenberg, wideout/returner Marvin Mims Jr., and even linebacker Justin Strnad. The success the Broncos have had in developing draft picks into starters, and in some cases, stars, is the biggest reason the franchise was able to not only survive the Wilson release but also thrive.

The Takeaway

Nobody expected the Broncos to win 10 games with a rookie quarterback, but they did. Outside of the most optimistic Broncos fans, few projected that Nix would then lead the team to share the best record in the NFL in 2025, pushing all the way to the AFC championship game.

It's also a credit to the work of GM George Paton and the Broncos' scouting department, combined with the excellent coaching and teaching by Payton and his staff. The Broncos have three more years of cost control on Nix's contract before he starts getting expensive, so expect Paton and Payton to go all in on building the nest around their young quarterback this offseason, to put all the pieces in place for another Super Bowl run.

The Broncos will continue to strike while the iron is hot.