Many in Broncos Country have joked that the Broncos "sold their souls" for the Super Bowl 50 victory. Could Bo Nix help the Broncos get their souls back? Elway put the Denver Broncos on the map, and it was Elway that helped the term "franchise quarterback" become a thing. The Broncos had some inconsistencies at QB after Elway retired, but the then Broncos GM made a bold move.
He was able to sign then-free agent QB Peyton Manning, who had missed the entire 2011 season with a bad neck. It was a huge and bold investment from Elway, who was surely tired of seeing his beloved Denver Broncos barely remain relevant. Well, the four years that Manning was in Denver were awesome.
It peaked with a Super Bowl 50 victory against NFL MVP Cam Newton and the high-powered Carolina Panthers. Peyton Manning retired that offseason, and that's when the pain started. Trevor Siemian was the starter for two seasons. In 2018, it was Case Keenum. Joe Flacco arrived in town in 2019.
In 2020, Drew Lock got the nod, but 2021 brought us the Teddy Bridgewater era. Much hype was brought into Broncos Country with Russell Wilson in 2022 and 2023, and that obviously did not work. Finally, the team decided enough was enough and used a first-round pick on Bo Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Well, there's a ton of reason to believe that Bo Nix can be the guy. He's a rookie. He was the third-ranked QB on the Broncos board. He's got a ton of legitimate starting experience in college, and much of what Sean Payton does on offense is what Nix has already done. The fit with Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos is quite good.
In fact, there may not be a rookie QB who has stepped into a better situation than Nix has with the Denver Broncos. Sure, he might just be another Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr, but what if he's the next Drew Brees? What if he is the next elite QB in the NFL? Why can't that happen for the Denver Broncos? Denver has enjoyed having two of the top-10 QBs all-time on their team.
It was John Elway, then it was Peyton Manning. Could Bo Nix be the next one in line?