Feb. 14, 2026, 6:00 a.m. MT

The story is just beginning for Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and the team, believes Hall of Famer Champ Bailey.

“I feel like if he continues to grow the way we’ve seen him grow between Year 1 and Year 2, and now coming up on Year 3, this is the time when you start seeing him separate himself from what he was to what he could be,” Bailey told Broncos Wire while promoting Panini America at the Super Bowl. “I know that that gives the team a lot of confidence about what they can do.”

Bailey attributed the Broncos‘ success to their emerging offense and attacking defense, which led the NFL in sacks by a wide margin in 2025, and is returning defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. “I do believe they could do some really big things,” Bailey said. “No. 1 seed, you can’t get much better than that. Home field advantage. So I expect them to at least be in the running for that No. 1 seed again. There will be bumps. We all know that. Nothing’s ever perfect during the season.”

Bailey spoke to Broncos Wire from the Panini Prizm VIP lounge in San Francisco leading up to the Super Bowl. Bailey said it was “surreal” the first time he saw himself on a trading card, and it never gets old having fans ask him to sign cards, even in retirement. He especially enjoys when fans show him one of his cards with a picture he’s never seen before.

Going forward, the hopes of Broncos Country rest on the young shoulders of Nix, who will be coming off a successful surgery on a broken bone in his ankle. Bailey knows this, and he had some words of encouragement to fans. “Bo Nix is healthy and getting better,” said Bailey. “The only thing that they are really missing is a consistent, dominant running attack. And if they can figure that part out, it’s going to be a hard team to beat.”

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The start of the 2026 season is just around the corner. With a healthy Nix and a stifling defense, there is no telling how high the ceiling for this team is.

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