Friday Faceoff: Are the Broncos wasting Bo Nix’s rookie contract?

Chris Schmaedeke, digital sports editor

Answer: Yes

The Broncos’ offseason has been confusing, to say the least.

After reaching the AFC Championship Game, Denver appeared ready to strike while the iron was hot. The Broncos needed more on offense to maximize quarterback Bo Nix, who is on his rookie contract.

That has not happened. Denver is the only team in the NFL that has not signed an external free agent. The Broncos have re-signed a lot of their own guys, including the whole tight end room and wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey on Thursday.

The Broncos are still in a perfect situation to make a splash. Nix will not command a big payday until the 2027 offseason. If Nix continues to progress, Denver will have a hefty contract to hand out. The quarterback could be hitting the $50 million-a-year range.

General manager George Paton pledged to be aggressive, and coach Sean Payton felt the Broncos had needs at tight end and running back. Instead of following that plan, Denver brought back J.K. Dobbins and every tight end from last season.

Payton likes his guys and probably feels he can coach up the current group. Denver’s brass may also feel that without Nix’s injury, they would have been in the Super Bowl. So they are closer than critics think.

But a team that doesn’t have to pay its quarterback $50 million needs playmakers everywhere else, and the Broncos have not done that so far.

Tyler King, college sports reporter

Answer: No

Am I hallucinating? Is it 2029 already?

The last time I checked, Nix still had three years left on his rookie deal, including the fifth-year option the Broncos have in their back pocket to delay an inevitable big contract extension by one year.

Yes, the Broncos certainly have had an underwhelming start to free agency, bringing in no new players so far and retaining a few minor pieces from last year’s No. 1 seed in the AFC.

But that’s another thing. Aren’t we only two months removed from Denver being a win away from the Super Bowl? I thought the entirety of the Mile High City was convinced that had Nix been healthy for the AFC Championship Game at Empower Field, the Broncos would’ve beaten the Patriots.

Sure, the Broncos probably would’ve suffered a similar fate against the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX — even with a healthy Nix. But would getting to the Super Bowl not have been considered a successful season in Denver?

If the standout young quarterback continues to progress as he has in his first two seasons, maybe we should ask whether Sean Payton is the right coach to get this franchise to the promised land.

This decade in the NFL has proven you don’t need a top-five quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy. You surely don’t need a quarterback on a rookie contract to do so.

Just look at the last two Super Bowl-winning QBs: Sam Darnold and Jalen Hurts, neither of whom would be considered top five at their position.

While Patrick Mahomes accounted for roughly 17% of the cap in his two most recent championships, other quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl this decade have won taking up anywhere from 3% to 12% of their team’s salary cap.

The problem isn’t the cost of Nix’s next contract. It’s all about Payton (and George Paton, for that matter) and the players surrounding Nix.