For once, the outside criticism of Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is both deserved and warranted.
Nix has been one of the most unfairly and overly-scrutinized players in the NFL since before he even played a snap in the league. It has gotten to the point that many in the NFL media world have blatantly ignored the things he's actually doing on the field in order to support their pre-draft opinions and preconceived notions.
After a complete dud in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, the criticism Nix is receiving is not only justified, but it highlights the long-term importance of the third-year quarterback taking the next step in the evolution of his game.
Bo Nix needs to bounce back quickly to earn the long-term trust of the Broncos
"Coaches fall out of love OVERNIGHT with players. Jerry said: "Micah is one of one! A unicorn... Hello, Packers? We've got a deal."@colincowherd explains why he thinks the Broncos might be having second thoughts on Bo Nix pic.twitter.com/ziqtRfD7lv
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 16, 2026
Some of the latest criticism of Bo Nix in the media comes from Colin Cowherd, who worked with Sean Payton for a year when Payton was with FOX Sports. And while Cowherd's opinions of Bo Nix are seemingly like the attention span of the average fruit fly, his relationship equity with Payton makes his takes at least somewhat notable.
And while these opinions can change on a dime, the timing of Cowherd calling out Nix -- multiple days in a row, and to a fairly significant degree -- are absolutely worth digging into a little bit.
There's no question that I've been one to defend Nix on a wide variety of occasions. When his long-term future was being doubted as a rookie quarterback, it's justified to push back on that notion. When people with large audiences in the media are cherry-picking individual bad games of Nix and ignoring his good performances, it's justified to push back on that.
But the stakes are different in 2026.
The Broncos are fresh off of earning the #1 seed in the AFC, winning the AFC West, and hosting the AFC Championship Game. There are championship aspirations for this team, and a quarterback entering his 3rd season can't be hindering that when the expectation was progression.
And even though progression isn't always linear in the NFL, the quarterback position demands a certain level of pressure to perform because of how much that position costs when long-term decisions need to be made financially.
After the 2026 season, Nix becomes contract extension-eligible. The Broncos have made it clear that they want Nix around long-term, but that sentiment doesn't mean that they are simply going to hand him a contract at the first opportunity to do so. Russell Wilson undoubtedly eliminated that possibility.
If the Broncos truly want Nix to be their long-term franchise player at quarterback, then Nix has to earn that distinction year in and year out. He has to set a new "floor" for his level of play. And after the most-watched Monday Night Football game in history, it's clear that the floor for Nix is still very low.
We know the ceiling is also very high, because we've seen Nix play extremely well in big games against some of the NFL's best teams. We've seen him have clutch performances time and time again, including in the Divisional Round win over the Bills. Nix is a baller, a gamer, a playmaker, and a leader.
But as annoying as it may be to admit, part of what Cowherd is saying is true: Organizational opinions on players can be fleeting.
This is not to incite fear in Broncos Country that a full-blown quarterback search will soon be underway, either. The point in sifting through the shock-jock nature of Colin Cowherd's comments to find the nuggets of truth is to point out that the timing of his criticism is not coincidental.
There is urgency for Nix to have a great season, not just a great stretch of games. There is at least some urgency organizationally to see Nix prove himself worthy of a long-term contract and commitment, otherwise they could move on.
And yes, that is a possibility that exists.
The Broncos could ride out Nix's entire rookie contract, which doesn't expire until after the 2028 season if they exercise his 5th-year option. They could even get into franchise tags at that point if they don't see a preferable long-term option.
But think about all that's at stake this year for the team...
Davis Webb is in his first year as an offensive play-caller, and the Broncos have said very publicly that they believe he's one of the best up-and-coming coaches in football. Nix's ability to execute Webb's play calls impacts the league-wide perception of Webb, and internally, Sean Payton's decision to give him the play-calling duties.
Payton himself was this close to becoming the first head coach in league history to win a Super Bowl with multiple franchises. Doing that would cement his Hall of Fame status. That is also largely in Nix's hands.
After this season, when Nix becomes contract extension-eligible, the discussion surrounding him changes. You're no longer talking about making short-term plans with a QB on a rookie contract, but long-term decisions about a QB on what would undoubtedly be the biggest contract in franchise history.
And when that's the 10,000-foot view, zooming in and seeing Nix's ugly performance against the Kansas City Chiefs is all the more unacceptable.
Typically, we're seeing reports come out in the media from people Sean Payton has personal ties to in the middle of the season. Last year, it came out after the Broncos' win against the Raiders after a short week against the Texans from Cowherd, specifically.
Guess who has the long-term contract with the Broncos right now? It's not Bo Nix, but head coach Sean Payton. And if Payton -- who has been Nix's biggest believer -- sours on his QB at any point, he has the long-term leverage to make whatever decision he believe needs to be made.
At the very least, the timing of Cowherd absolutely putting Nix on blast is interesting. He's not saying the same things about Drake Maye after an even worse performance in Week 1, and an even worse performance over his last 5 games.
That's partly why -- if you'll permit me to put on the tinfoil hat momentarily -- it feels like the timing of this heavy scrutiny against Nix is not accidental.
When I was playing football, they used to say that if a coach was yelling at you constantly, it was a good sign, because he believed he could get the best out of you. But if he stopped yelling? That's when you knew you were in some trouble.
I'm looking at this as an instance of Bo Nix getting "yelled at" because the team believes in him, and because he needs to turn it around and show everyone that Year 3 leap...fast.
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