Bo Nix might have impossible shoes to fill thanks to Sean Payton
The Denver Broncos drafted Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he already might have some impossible shoes to fill. It is well-documented that Broncos head coach Sean Payton was dying to draft Patrick Mahomes back in 2017. Well, the New Orleans Saints had planned on picking Mahomes with their 11th pick, but were jumped by the Kansas City Chiefs.
And the rest is history. Payton missing out on Mahomes is surely still nagging at him today; I mean, Mahomes is arguably the best QB to step foot on this Earth. If he retires tomorrow, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's a sad situation for Denver Broncos fans, as the fanbase and organization has had to watch Mahomes and the Chiefs win three Super Bowls in five seasons.
Anyway, this bit of information from Adam Schefter popped up during the 2024 NFL Draft, and it does nothing but put a ton of pressure on Bo Nix:
Here's the quote that I am referencing in his tweet:
"Payton feels as strongly about Bo Nix as he did Mahomes."
- Adam Schefter
...As strong about Bo Nix as he did Mahomes????
You know what; I am not an NFL coach and I run a 5.12 40-yard dash. All I do is type articles for you to read, so I have no business questioning how Sean Payton, a Hall of Fame offensive mind, thinks about a certain QB prospect. Payton's confidence in Bo Nix is quite something, and to an extent, it gives Nix some impossible shoes to fill.
There probably won't be another human being like Mahomes to play in the NFL. Yes, there's Brady, and Mahomes isn't particularly close to Brady yet, but you get my point. For Bo Nix, not only does he have this pressure, but he has the pressure of playing for a QB-starved fanbase that has had to watch about 389 different passers take snaps for the Broncos since 2016.
Denver really hasn't had a problem with their defense. The QB issue has turned this franchise upside down, and now the young Nix is tasked with flipping the organization right-side up. But for Sean Payton to think this is just mind-blowing. Does Payton think that Bo Nix can be as good as Mahomes?
Or does he think that he knows for sure that Bo Nix is going to be an NFL franchise QB?