FOX Sports recently released it’s 2025 NFL quarterback stock market rankings with all the potential quarterback moves finalized for the offseason (unless the Falcons find a way to move Kirk Cousins), and Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix slotted in at No. 14 in the league out of the 32 presumed Week 1 starters.
The problem with Henry McKenna’s rankings isn’t where he put Nix at, it’s how he described him. Heading into year two, Nix has plenty of room to grow, but did establish himself in the top half of the league’s signal callers. He was ranked above San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, but came in a few spots behind Dallas’s Dak Prescott, who has had three of his last six seasons cut short due to injury.
“Here’s a guy who quickly learned how to eliminate bad plays. Nix is boring. But if he can stay in a good system with a good supporting cast, there’s no reason why he won’t be the next Jared Goff — and maybe even with a little more athleticism,” McKenna said.
Boring? Really? The ‘check down merchant’ thing was funny at the start of the season for Nix, but as his rookie campaign carried along in 2024, he showed his ability to make plays with both his arm and his legs. There were a plethora of electric plays he made to show Broncos Country that he’s not just a more athletic Jared Goff.
BO NIX WITH AN ABSOLUTE LASER TO MARVIN MIMS JR. FOR A 51-YARD TOUCHDOWN 😱
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Co4ubT1ded
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2024
BO NIX WITH AN ABSOLUTE DIME TO MARVIN MIMS JR. FOR A 93-YARD TOUCHDOWN 😤 pic.twitter.com/DDtQPMFD80
— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2024
Bo Nix went on a real adventure on this one. He slips out of a Bud Dupree DDT attempt, escapes another pressure, runs away from two defenders, and taunts 0 for not being able to catch him while down by 20 points pic.twitter.com/RrDvRw2SPz
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) October 14, 2024
Do any of these throws look boring? No. Was Drew Brees a boring quarterback during his glory days with Sean Payton in New Orleans? No.
Sean Payton’s offense utilizes a lot of screens and shallow passes in the air attack. Just because Nix is executing Payton’s calls and hitting the first man open three yards down the field doesn’t mean he’s a boring quarterback. The right play in football isn’t always the exciting one.
Payton recently said that Nix is “much further along” and was pleased with the second-year quarterback’s growth throughout the offseason. Nix showed a lot of strides in year one as he helped lead the Broncos to the franchise’s first playoff berth in nine seasons, and will have to continue growing to make a deeper run in the postseason.