![\"Bo](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2254664057-e1776367532189.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. <\/p>\n
If you want to understand how the game is played with NFL<\/a> general managers, start with the knowledge that nothing they say in public isn\u2019t carefully planned out beforehand.<\/p>\n Take, for example, the comments made by Denver Broncos<\/a> general manager George Paton on Thursday in a pre-draft press conference alongside head coach Sean Payton.<\/p>\n In a bizarre turn, Paton went out of his way to single out the 2027 NFL draft for what\u2019s projected as an elite class of quarterbacks<\/a>. It\u2019s a class of quarterbacks that could rival the record-setting 6 picks in the 1983 and 2024 NFL drafts.<\/p>\n In 1983, the Broncos traded for future Hall of Fame and 2-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback John Elway after the Baltimore Colts<\/a> selected him No. 1 overall.<\/p>\n In 2024, the Broncos drafted current starting quarterback Bo Nix<\/a> with the No. 12 overall pick.<\/p>\n \u201cI think everyone feels like next year is going to be a strong draft and that\u2019s based on the quarterbacks,\u201d Paton said<\/a>. \u201cWe feel like it\u2019s going to be a strong quarterback draft.\u201d<\/p>\n Why would a general manager with 1 of the NFL\u2019s best quarterbacks \u2014 who is still on his rookie contract \u2014 say something like that?<\/p>\n Reading the Tea Leaves on Paton\u2019s Comments<\/p>\n There are a few things we can infer from Paton\u2019s comments. One of them isn\u2019t just that he\u2019s some draftnik who is really into the 2027 QB class.<\/p>\n The most likely reason Paton said what he said is he knows there\u2019s a massive fight brewing when it comes to a possible contract extension for Nix.<\/p>\n Barring a Super Bowl appearance, the Broncos seem like they would be hesitant to pay up and make Nix play out his\u00a04-year, $18.6 million rookie contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n One big reason they\u2019re hesitant is the Brinks Truck full of cash they\u2019re going to have to pay Nix, who could land somewhere in the range of the $60 million per year the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> pay quarterback Dak Prescott<\/a>, who is currently the NFL\u2019s highest-paid player.<\/p>\n The big difference? Nix has been wildly more successful than Prescott the last 2 seasons, including consecutive playoff appearances after almost a decade-long postseason drought.<\/p>\n Bo Nix\u2019s Surgically-Repaired Ankle in Question<\/p>\n Nix broke his ankle on 1 of the final plays<\/a> of a game-winning drive in overtime against the Buffalo Bills<\/a> in the AFC Divisional Round, but somehow remained in the game. His absence was the main factor for the Broncos in a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots<\/a> in the AFC Championship Game 1 week later.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was found was a condition that was predisposed \u2014 they always find a little more when they go in,\u201d\u00a0Payton said\u00a0on January 26. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a matter of if, it was a matter of when. When you look at the play and you\u2019re trying to evaluate it \u2014 the operating surgeon said that this was going to happen sooner than later. Now, you go about the rehab, proper orthotics, all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n Nix was quick to call Payton a liar<\/a> without actually having to say the word.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing predisposed, nothing that was there originally \u2026 I don\u2019t think (Payton) should share how many surgeries I\u2019ve had in the past, to be honest with you \u2026 he doesn\u2019t even really know that,\u201d said Nix, who had surgery 3 days after the injury and was given a 4-6 week time frame to resume football activities. \u201cBut it\u2019s going to be good to get back, get back to work. \u2026 Nothing really concerns me, nothing scares me moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTony Adame<\/a> covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Broncos\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. If you want to understand how the game is played with NFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":867930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2062],"tags":[232,231,258,2426,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-867929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-broncos","8":"tag-broncos","9":"tag-denver","10":"tag-denver-broncos","11":"tag-denverbroncos","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116416350113464024","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=867929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/867930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=867929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=867929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=867929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}