After the win over Buffalo in the divisional round, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton confirmed that quarterback Bo Nix was done for the playoffs, adding a detail nobody wanted to hear. Nix’s right ankle injury, suffered on the second-to-last play of the game, was “a matter of when” given the prior surgeries on that ankle. The Broncos lost the AFC Championship without their quarterback, and everybody started looking for the next man. But Nix’s latest injury update has changed everything.

At the NFL owners’ meetings, Jordan Schultz reported that Nix is fully healed and on track for a strong offseason.

“Not only is Broncos QB BO Nix a full go for the team’s offseason program with zero limitations, fully recovered from ankle surgery,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on X. “He’s actually further along than he typically is in his offseason conditioning program, per sources.”

Where Does Broncos Still Lack Elite Talent?

Let Tony do the scouting, you just make the pick.

Pick your positions. Get Tony’s top 5:

QB

RB

FB

WR

TE

C

CB

DE

DT

G

ILB

OLB

P

PK

S

T

View Tony’s Picks

Broncos general manager George Paton had also shared a similar update to 9News’ Mike Klis, noting that the quarterback is “running” and “jumping.” Paton also shared that Nix will be back in action at the OTAs. 

Nix had fractured his right ankle on a QB sweep in overtime against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round last postseason. Bills safety Cole Bishop brought him down, and Nix lost two yards.

Nix still stayed on the field and threw an incompletion on the next play, which drew a 30-yard defensive pass interference flag. Will Lutz then kicked the Broncos into the AFC Championship. Nobody knew the extent of the injury until after the game.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter set the recovery window at 12 weeks, with doctors advising Nix to avoid putting weight on his leg for the first four weeks. Beating that timeline, with a third procedure to the same joint, isn’t just good news for Denver; it removes the last credible argument for a replacement.

Interestingly, Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, recovering from a torn ACL and LCL, is also running ahead of schedule per reports. The injuries aren’t comparable in severity, but the AFC’s two most consequential quarterbacks are both outrunning their recovery timelines at the same time.

Nix’s expected return for OTAs makes the rumors of the Broncos seeking a veteran backup harder to explain. Are the Broncos really looking for a veteran backup quarterback?

The Aaron Rodgers rumors

It all started when Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported the Broncos were considering bringing Aaron Rodgers in for a visit, framing it as insurance given the uncertainty over Nix’s recovery. But The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, who had already predicted an early return, wasn’t interested in the premise.

“Aaron Rodgers is not coming to Denver for a visit,” Kosmider wrote on X. “When the Broncos take the field to start the OTAs, they will be quarterbacked by Bo Nix. Carry on.”

DNVR Sports’ Zac Stevens went further, citing sources for the probabilities of a Rodgers signing, and called out Mike Florio for pulling an April Fools’ prank.

“There is ‘less than a zero percent chance’ Aaron Rodgers will visit with the Broncos, per source,” Stevens wrote. “It’s April Fools, and that story is completely false. Along those lines, Bo Nix will be 100% for the offseason program, 100% for preseason, and 100% for Week 1. Absolutely zero concern for Bo’s health.”

Incidentally, this marks the third time rumors have linked Rodgers to Denver. The first time was in 2021 when his standoff with the Green Bay Packers made a trade feel real. The second came in 2022, when they were rooting for a Rodgers trade. But the Packers extended A-Rod while Russell Wilson came to Denver instead. The Nix investment was the franchise’s deliberate break from that cycle.

Rodgers finished last season in Pittsburgh with a wild-card loss to the Houston Texans. In that game, he posted 17 completions on 33 attempts, 146 yards, and no touchdowns. The argument for him in Denver requires believing he could be an upgrade over a 26-year-old who finished his last playoff game pushing through a broken ankle. That argument was thin before the recovery update, and now it isn’t an argument at all.

Bo Nix’s extension window opens in 2027. Denver is building around him, and acquiring wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was just one of the many moves they’ve made so far. The doubts might return if Nix stumbles. But the difference now is that Nix has a track record of answering them on the field, on the injury report, and apparently on the training field too.