With head coach Sean Payton officially giving the word Wednesday afternoon, Bo Nix has been named starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos.
Notably, no rookie has opened the regular season behind center for Broncos Country since Hall-of-Famer John Elway in 1983. On top of that, the NFL franchise from Mile High City has experienced quarterbacking woes for the better part of the past eight years.
“Obviously, that’s great to share with such a great player like John Elway,” exclaimed Nix to attending media.
The rookie Nix has an opportunity to be that fresh breath of air sweeping down from the Rocky Mountains. If there is one thing I know about Coloradans, they are devoutly passionate about their Broncos. Simply, the 24½-year-old Alabama native will have every opportunity to be that guy in Denver.
Speaking of age, Nix is little older compared to most rookie quarterbacks. For direct comparison, fellow rookie passer Caleb Williams is 22 while Drake Maye is even younger at 21 — it is a near certainty that both latter QBs take their respective starting jobs for Week 1, as well.
Nix’s slightly inflated age comes with a wealth of quarterbacking experience. As one of the most accomplished Division I players of the modern era, Nix played five collegiate campaigns for powerful programs in the Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks. All said and done, he amassed 15,351 passing yards while sporting a lifetime 113-26 TD-INT ratio.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Nix will be the fifth-oldest rookie quarterback to start an opener since 1950.
Over two NFL preseason romps, Nix has guided the Broncos to points in six of the seven drives he has played. He’s completed 23 of 30 total pass attempts (2-0 TD-INT) while maintaining a 116.7 rating. Candidly, that is vintage Nix — he is coming off a Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year campaign at Oregon wherein he completed a scalding 77.4% of all passes.
Back in the present, Denver has missed the postseason in every season since winning Super Bowl 50 under Peyton Manning, which is now nearly a decade removed. It goes without saying that folks in the Mile High are ready and eager for the Nix administration.
For those wondering, Elway’s NFL debut was not a memorable one.
Taking on a tough Pittsburgh Steelers team in the opener, Elway went 1-for-8 passing, compiling just 14 yards and an interception before being relieved by veteran quarterback Steve DeBerg. Elway was also sacked four times. From there, DeBerg rallied Denver back for a 14-10 victory.
No, Nix did not make Playboy’s recent “5 Buzziest NFL Quarterbacks Entering 2024-25” list, but he will absolutely be a player to monitor going forward.