Bo Nix thrived under Sean Payton last season, but strong on-field production on Sundays doesn't always translate into a smooth working relationship. Their relationship has reportedly taken a hit after the Denver Broncos head coach's comment, which was discussed on a recent episode of The Ringer.
"Broncos trade Bo Nix," stated The Ringer co-host Danny Kelly about his craziest prediction this season. "Because of all this, Sean Payton-Nix sort of drama that's happening."
Last month, Nix had refuted Payton's claims about a predisposed issue. He'd also later set the record straight, indicating that he wasn't at odds with the manager. But none of this felt right to co-host Bill Simmons.
"Sean Payton has acted really fu***** weird this whole season and the off-season," said the Ringer host Bill Simmons, agreeing with Kelly. "It's not just one thing, you could point to like seven different things that just are weird. You are supposed to be the most stable person in your organization, and he is not."
The report of the Broncos head coach's weird behavior comes from his remarks about the quarterback's health in early 2026, made after the AFC Championship loss against the New England Patriots .
Nix missed out on the game due to a season-ending foot injury, and later, the 62-year-old head coach revealed that he was already 'predisposed' to the injury.
However, Nix was visibly upset after his coach's comments about his medical history, eventually strongly disagreeing with the claim that there was "nothing predisposed."
Although the 26-year-old may disagree with his coach, his past injury record paints a different picture. Playing for the Auburn Tigers in college football, he reportedly dealt with a right ankle injury. The same ankle was injured in 2021, forcing him to miss games.
Apart from the remark about his own QB, his way of handling the media has also contributed to his recent strange behavior. As Kelly mentioned, he recently engaged in a verbal dispute with a reporter at the NFL Combine.
Additionally, before the Broncos' Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills in January, he openly mocked a reporter during a press conference who questioned him about attacking downhill in the run game.
The 2023 campaign was yet another period when the 62-year-old was embroiled in friction with then Broncos QB Russell Wilson . When two games were still left in the 2023 season, the coach benched Wilson. Although they parted ways after that season, the coach took a subtle jab at the current Giants player in the 2025 season.
With multiple backhanded comments about his players, Payton seems to have become a polarizing figure, even for players of the three-time Super Bowl Champions, including Bo Nix, who has spent two seasons with the franchise.
Now, it is not just the fans, but former quarterbacks also understand the value of Nix staying at the team.
Sean Payton took charge of the Denver Broncos in 2023, but the team missed the playoff bus in his first season, prompting him to look for a promising quarterback from the draft after the exit of veteran Russell Wilson.
This was when Bo Nix was picked by Payton in the first round of the NFL Draft 2024. It goes without saying that the Auburn alum has justified his selection in the past two seasons. In the last decade, the Broncos' only playoff appearances have come with Nix leading the team.
In light of this, former quarterback Jake Plummer shared his views on the quarterback who's set to enter his third year in the NFL.
"Bo is the most important part of the team," Plummer told Odegard recently. "With his progression so far, you need to take care of him… Bo has the clutch gene. You can't coach that. Coach Payton has no recipe for that."
While most fans will sing praises for the young quarterback, he had a shaky start to his NFL career, as he struggled to keep momentum in his initial games. With Nix as the QB, Payton lost the first two games of the 2024 season, while his production was below average with an alarming 4 interceptions.
Despite a shaky start, which put uncertainty over his future as a starter, he bounced back and proved himself as the starting quarterback, leading the team to the postseason.
That being said, the recent controversy has brought back questions about his future under Sean Payton. Considering the pair's success over the past two seasons, the franchise would certainly want them to be in the same boat next season.
