Let us go back to 2017. Sean Payton was the HC for the Saints and had his eyes set on a particular QB, who was simply electrifying. It was a young Texas Tech quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. But the Chiefs beat Payton to it. They traded up with the Buffalo Bills to secure the 10th pick, and what followed was history for the red team and lasting regret for Payton.
Now, years after the Kansas City Chiefs grabbed Mahomes, and a couple of Super Bowl wins along their way to the top, Payton is with the Denver Broncos, and still chasing ghosts—but this time, he was armed with a blueprint born from regret. Enter Bo Nix, the rookie QB who just posted 3,775 passing yards, 29 TDs, and a playoff berth in his debut season. Payton’s past pain? It’s now Denver’s gain.
Payton’s 2017 heartbreak wasn’t just a ‘what if’ moment—it was a catalyst towards change. “Losing out on Patrick Mahomes that has haunted Sean Payton’s career—that he had his eye on Mahomes, and the Chiefs traded up right before he was due to pick him,” Seth Wickersham noted on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams on YouTube.
Fast-forward to 2024: Denver, holding the 12th pick, selects Bo Nix—a move shaped by Payton’s revamped quarterback evaluation system. As Wickersham explains, “The scars from that [Mahomes miss] led to him creating a system that led to Bo Nix.” The numbers back it up. Mahomes’s 2016 Texas Tech swan song? 5,052 passing yards, 53 total touchdowns, and a ‘no-look pass’ aura. Meanwhile, Nix’s 2023 Oregon finale featured a record 77.4% completion rate, 45 touchdowns, and serious Heisman hype.
In short, different styles—same premise: Elite processing. Payton, once burned by hesitation, didn’t overthink it this time. But what was it about Bo Nix that appealed to Sean Payton? Wickersham answered that as well.
Bo Nix: The Anti-Mahomes (and why Payton loves it)
If Mahomes is a jazz solo—improvised, daring, chaotic—Nix is a metronome. Precision over pyrotechnics. “What I get into with Bo Nix is—a lot of interesting inside detail about the scouting process,” Wickersham hints. “It touches on analytics, Moneyball in the NFL… personality type.” Translation: Nix’s 15,352 college passing yards and 113:26 TD: INT ratio screamed ‘low-risk, high-reward’ to a coach allergic to déjà vu.
Payton’s Denver project? “We’re revisiting a Saints sort of vibe,” Kay Adams observed, referencing Drew Brees’ surgical efficiency. Nix’s 2024 stats—66.3% completion, 430 rushing yards—mirror that mold. Even playing through three back fractures, he channeled Brees’ grit, not Mahomes’s magic. But hey, luck matters too.
“As much as being a great NFL QB comes down to your ability to make incredible throws… who picks you matters. Luck matters,” Wickersham admits. For Nix, luck meant landing with a coach hellbent on correcting history.
In 2024, Mahomes added another achievement (well, Super Bowl appearance), while Nix dragged Denver to its first playoff dance since 2015. Payton’s QB curse? Broken.
Category
Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech, 2014–2016)
Bo Nix (Auburn 2019–2021, Oregon 2022–2023)
Passing Yards
11,252
15,352
Touchdowns–Interceptions
93–29
113–26
Completion Percentage
63.5%
66.3%
Rushing Yards
845
1,613
Rushing Touchdowns
22
38
Notable Achievement #1
Led NCAA in passing yards (5,052) & total offense (5,337) in 2016
Set FBS single-season completion % record (77.4%) in 2023
Notable Achievement #2
Tied FBS single-game passing record (734 yards vs Oklahoma, 2016)
4,508 passing yards & 45 TDs with just 3 INTs in 2023
Notable Achievement #3
Set FBS record for total yards in a game (819 vs Oklahoma)
Named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2023
Notable Achievement #4
Won Sammy Baugh Trophy in 2016
Finished 3rd in Heisman Trophy voting in 2023
Think of it like a video game glitch fixed by a software update. Payton’s 2017 bug—the Mahomes near-miss—forced him to reprogram, indeed. The Broncos aren’t rebuilding; in fact, they’re respawning. What do you think?
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