Peyton Manning Gives Broncos QB Advice and Strong Endorsement
The Denver Broncos quarterback battle will be one of several to keep an eye on and one of the biggest decisions in Head Coach Sean Payton‘s career.
Each of incumbent Jarrett Stidham, trade acquisition Zach Wilson, and rookie first-round pick Bo Nix figure to get a shot to win the job, though the latter two might be front runners given their additions this offseason.
Nix represents the future, and he has the support of one of the Broncos’ biggest past figures.
“Bo came to our camp as well when he was at Auburn, and he and I stayed in touch,” Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning told reporters on May 22. “He actually won the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Award this year – which I won when I was in college – and so I was there at the banquet and got a picture with Bo.
“I remember just talking to Bo when he was thinking about transferring [from Auburn to Oregon]. And so we’ve kind of stayed in touch and I’m super happy for him to be here. I think it’s a great fit for him, and I can tell how excited Sean is to have Bo here.”
Payton was complimentary of Nix after the draft and remained so during rookie minicamp when he and the other coaches admittedly fed the newcomers more than they could handle.
“I think Sean’s system is extremely quarterback-friendly,” Manning said. “I never played in it, but played against it and watched it and know the success that Drew Brees had and Tony Romo had. So, it’s a kind of system that I’d like to play in, right? It’s very quarterback-friendly.”
Brees was outspoken in where things went awry between Payton and Russell Wilson in 2023.
The Super Bowl champion and former New Orleans Saints QB pointed out Payton’s offense required things (rhythm and timing) that were not Wilson’s strengths (improvisation).
Nix’s fit with Payton is one of the reasons for pre-draft projections linking them. This was despite the former being viewed as a step below top prospects in this class. He is coming off a historic collegiate career in which he set the NCAA record for completion percentage at 77.4%.