Every quarterback in the NFL is under the microscope, to a degree, but Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has been scrutinized unlike anyone else in 2026.
Nix helped lead the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game last season, and has been one of the most successful quarterbacks in the league since he was drafted in 2024. However, the streaky element to his game and low floor he's shown in 2026 have many asking questions about his longevity as a starter.
At this stage of his career -- and 5 games into the regular season -- those questions are at least somewhat justified, no matter how bad anyone in Broncos Country doesn't want them to be.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently made an argument for Nix being one of the top players and/or coaches around the league on the hot seat entering Week 6, but it's not the same hot seat as others.
Bo Nix must find a way to play himself off the hot seat as 2026 continues
Here is what Barnwell had to say about his read on Nix's situation entering Week 6:
"I don't think the Broncos are about to bench Nix for backup Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't been particularly impressive as a pro and didn't play well in last season's AFC title game loss to the Patriots while filling in for the injured starter. The hot seat here is more in the big picture, with Nix becoming eligible for a contract extension after the season and a decision on his fifth-year option in 2028 (at a projected $29.9 million) coming due next spring."
- Bill Barnwell, ESPN
This is perhaps one of the most level-headed things anyone from a national media outlet has said about Bo Nix in his professional career when it comes to fair and justified criticism.
Barnwell is correct: Even the idea of benching Bo Nix is ridiculous enough to dismiss immediately. Nobody was even certain that Jarrett Stidham was good enough to be the team's backup going into the season. The Broncos gain nothing from benching Nix -- end of story.
However, the more interesting point he makes is that Nix could be on the hot seat after this season. Any talk of the Broncos moving on from Nix before the 2026 season was wildly premature, as he was only a rookie or second-year QB finding his way in the league. But there is an expectation of a jump from players at this position in year three, and Nix seemingly hasn't made one.
With that in mind, questions about whether or not the Broncos would want Nix as a long-term option are fair to ask given the way he's played so far in 2026.
After his ankle injury in the playoff win over the Bills, Nix hasn't looked like the same player out there. He's running a lot less, he isn't making the same plays with his legs that he did in his first two NFL seasons, and he's been much more hesitant to throw the ball down the field.
We've still seen some of his late-game heroics against the Jaguars, Rams, and Chargers, and those plays are not to be dismissed. Still, you need to see a quarterback like Nix raise his proverbial "floor" on a week-to-week basis in order to pay him the biggest contract in franchise history.
The Broncos did a lot to at least try to support Nix this offseason, making a huge effort to keep one of his favorite coaches -- Davis Webb -- as well as swinging a blockbuster trade to acquire Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins.
So far, the results on the field have been worse than what we've seen in the past, and it's led to one scathing review of Nix's play after another.
The only way off this potential offseason hot seat for Nix is to play his way off.
He's got to prove he can take that next step as a player. Where there might have been excuses for his inconsistencies in years one and two, there will be expectations of improvement in year three. There is still plenty of time for Nix to turn things around this season and prove to Broncos Country that the player we've seen at his best is the player he can be most of the time.
Add us as a preferred source on Google