“He’s super instinctive. He’s played a lot of football. He’s smart, tough, and a quick decision-maker,” Sean Payton had declared at his post-draft press conference last season, when the Broncos drafted Bo Nix 12th overall. At the time, it sounded like cliché coach-speak. But one year later, those words are more credible. Nix didn’t merely hang in there in his rookie season—he navigated it like a pro. And going into 2025, he’s not losing steam.

In reality, it’s his off-season routine that has begun turning heads at Dove Valley. What was previously a risk-reward move by the front office now appears to be the early building blocks toward something that can be sustainable. From the way he prepares in the background to the way he’s directing inside the facility, Nix is making it quietly known. He’s not another face in Denver’s revolving door of quarterbacks. He’s committed to rewriting the narrative permanently.

In his post-practice media availability Wednesday, Payton nonchalantly let drop one of the juiciest offseason nuggets. Bo Nix jetted out and spent almost a week with Drew Brees. Not for a photo opportunity or a brief handshake but to drill deep. “The meeting between the two is incredible and I love the details that Sean added,” one Broncos insider divulged. “Bo Nix is trying to become Drew Brees on the field. So he’s just trying to live his life off the field just like Drew Brees did .”

It wasn’t a setup that was planned by the team. Bo Nix went out of his way. Perhaps Payton suggested it, but Bo did it himself. It’s not quite clear what the conversation between the two was like. But it’s not hard to guess. Brees’ weekly routine, his offseason habits, how he organized life outside the facility. Bo is not attempting to copy greatness; he’s attempting to reverse-engineer it.

And that, above all else, is what raised brows within Broncos camp. “It’s the best tidbit of the offseason that we could have possibly got,” one Broncos insider claimed. This wasn’t some rookie filling boxes, this was an adult man in pursuit of legacy. From veterans to insiders, the response was all the same: the kid is constructed differently. Despite the typical camp pandemonium, contract talks, special teams formations, depth chart theatrics, the chatter around Nix’s personal investment has distanced him from usual rookie conversation. He didn’t wait for coaching. He went and got the blueprint on his own.

There’s been a lot of turnover around the Broncos complex since Sean Payton arrived, but 2025 genuinely feels different. A lot of that has to do with the man now coming in under center. And his last year at Oregon showed why. He steered the team to a 77.4% completion rate, threw 45 touchdown passes to only three interceptions, and drove the Ducks to a 12-2 record. It translated to the NFL too, breaking Denver’s playoff drought in his rookie year. That kind of consistency, control, and cadence had moments that were reminiscent of another quarterback Payton has experience with: Drew Brees.

Currently, Nix isn’t just making comparisons to Brees on film; he’s pursuing the origins of his greatness. This wasn’t chasing fame or for advice’s sake. It was a more profound quest for football maturity. With years of uncertainty at quarterback apparently behind them, the Broncos are hungry for a long-term solution, and Nix has already demonstrated that he’s taking the job very seriously with no signs of complacency.

Sean Payton raises the bar

While Bo Nix worked quietly behind the scenes, Sean Payton has been increasing the pressure in front of them. From roster projections to public expectations, the head coach is no longer making excuses. He’s expecting results. And not only from the quarterbacks.

“I laid out some things that are forthcoming,” Payton said following the Broncos’ acclimation practice. “On a division-seeding standpoint, it begins more… but you can’t be fearful of discussing the end game.” That terminology — playoff seeding, Super Bowl contention, national attention wasn’t there in Year 1. But in Year 3 of the Payton era, it’s business as usual. Coaches have instructed players to increase their preparation, focus, and positional flexibility. They haven’t locked in any positions, and they aren’t guaranteeing spots to any player—rookie or veteran.

The Broncos didn’t just draft sixth-round rookie Jeremy Crawshaw to punt—they brought him in to win the field position battle every week. Payton made it clear: flashes won’t be enough. “There’s some booms, and then every once in a while we’ve got to work on the ones that just go right,” he said. Crawshaw’s 70-yard missiles are eye-popping, but wobbly ducks won’t cut it. The demand? Consistency under pressure.

“The entire group must realize the potential,” Payton said. “Those expectations, they can’t be merely high for the coaches.” Off the field, Payton’s expectations exceed the playbook. Guys like Bo Nix, who decide to pattern themselves after legends like Drew Brees, are establishing the new norm. And Payton is making it loud and clear: he expects everyone—not just the starters—to think long-term, train with purpose, and communicate like professionals.