Married couples have heated arguments from time to time, and that’s what makes their relationship stronger. While Broncos head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix are not a married couple, the same principle applies, as they’ve shared a few fiery interactions on the sideline through their first 20 games together.
In Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Nix walked over to the sidelines and brushed off Payton when it seemed that the head coach was trying to talk to his quarterback late in the third quarter. Payton followed him a few steps and Nix seemed to get a bit fired up before they walked their separate ways.
Bo Nix and Sean Payton share a moment on the sidelines pic.twitter.com/g38AQV5kq8
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 14, 2025
That wasn’t the first time the two got heated at each other on the sideline, as a similar interaction happened in the Broncos’ Week 5 win over the Raiders a season ago.
Broncos HC Sean Payton and rookie QB Bo Nix had this exchange on the sideline after Denver punted in their last drive.
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/CxGDEA023i
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 6, 2024
After Broncos practice on Wednesday, Nix made sure to emphasize that the interaction was nothing serious and he had to speak up due to the stadium noise.
“I think, for whatever reason, we’re allowing conversations become bigger than what they are. We oftentimes forget that it’s a big stadium and a lot of people are talking at the same time, so you got to be a little bit louder and more vocal. So that was just something as simple as he asked me, what happened on a play. I told him, I turned he couldn’t quite hear. Turned back and told him again, there was no issues. So, yeah, it’s just a quick conversation with the head coach. Nothing pressing,” Nix said.
Payton shared a similar thought process.
“It was an affirmation of, this is what we’re wanting to do… I don’t think it was what it appeared. In fact, I know it wasn’t. So thank you,” Payton said.
It’s a good sign that these two can have these sorts of interactions and quickly move on from it. Remember, Sean Payton chewed out Russell Wilson in the middle of a game the Broncos were getting blown out in late in the 2023 season, and Wilson didn’t argue back at all, something that Nix did in both interactions. Payton and Wilson clearly had a worse relationship than Payton and Nix do, which is part of the reason why the Broncos cut him after the 2023 season and took on the largest dead cap hit in NFL history.
Sean Payton screaming at Russell Wilson after that drive.
Not sure what Russ did wrong? pic.twitter.com/8tHBc2Zblr
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) December 17, 2023
Was Payton’s relationship with Drew Brees all butterflies and rainbows for their 15 years together? No. Football is a challenging sport and Payton and Nix have two of the toughest jobs for the Broncos. They’re going to get frustrated at times, and it’s going to look like they’re mad at each other, but until they say otherwise, it’s just part of the journey.