Pat Surtain and Bo Nix nominated for Fox’s end-of-season awards

Fox has nominated Broncos QB Pat Surtain for DPOY and QB Bo Nix for OROY. Go vote!

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and cornerback Pat Surtain are both finalists for some of the biggest individual awards in the game at the NFL Honors, which will air on Feb. 6.

Surtain is a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, while Nix is a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Both had incredible years, with Nix setting several franchise and NFL records throughout the season.

In addition to those AP award nominations, Surtain and Nix have also been nominated for Fox’s DPOY and OROY end-of-season awards. Fans can vote for both Surtain and Nix on the NFLonFOX YouTube channel.

Surtain finished the year with “the most dominant season of his four-year career in 2024, matching a career high in interceptions and posting his fourth consecutive season with at least 10 passes defensed,” said a report via the team’s website. “(Surtain) also made several game-changing plays, including a 100-yard pick six in Week 5 vs. the (Las Vegas) Raiders.”

Nix had one of the best seasons for a rookie quarterback in franchise history. With a 10-win season, Nix set the Broncos’ rookie record for wins, while also setting Denver records for passing touchdowns and yards, among other league records during his 2024 campaign.

Get your vote in today!

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Vance Joseph not among Assistant Coach of the Year finalists (one ex-Bronco is)

Vance Joseph is not a finalist for Assistant Coach of the Year, but Vic Fangio is.

The Associated Press announced finalists for its 2024 end-of-season NFL awards last week and three Denver Broncos were recognized.

Broncos coach Sean Payton (Coach of the Year), cornerback Pat Surtain (Defensive Player of the Year) and quarterback Bo Nix (Offensive Rookie of the Year) are all finalists to take home hardware following the 2024 season.

Denver’s defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, is not among the five Assistant Coach of the Year finalists. Instead, Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady, Philadelphia Eagles DC Vic Fangio, Minnesota Vikings DC Brian Flores and former Detroit Lions coordinators Aaron Glenn (DC) and Ben Johnson (OC) were nominated.

Fangio, of course, is a former Broncos head coach. Philly’s defense allowed 17.8 points per game in 2024, second-fewest in the NFL. Denver’s defense ranked third, allowing 18.3 PPG. Minnesota (19.5) ranked fourth and Detroit (20.1) ranked sixth.

The AP‘s award winners will be announced during NFL Honors on Feb. 6. The awards show will begin at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Fox and NFL Network, but the program will not air live in all time zones.

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Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss had shoulder surgery; made All-Rookie team

Broncos OLB Jonah Elliss underwent shoulder surgery after making the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team in 2024.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonah Elliss underwent should surgery last week, his father, Luther Elliss, confirmed to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette previously broke the news about Elliss suffering a fractured scapula bone in the team’s playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. At the time of the initial report, it was not yet known if the pass rusher would undergo surgery.

Elliss (6-2, 246 pounds) eventually did undergo surgery, putting his status in doubt for the team’s offseason program this spring.

The Broncos picked Elliss in the third round of last year’s NFL draft out of Utah. He served as a rotational outside linebacker in his rookie season, totaling 38 tackles, six quarterback hits, five sacks and two pass breakups in 17 games (playing 38% of the defensive snaps).

Following his impressive season, Elliss made the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-Rookie Team. He was Denver’s only player to take home that honor following the 2024 season.

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Two former Wisconsin Badgers named finalists for NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Two former Wisconsin Badgers finalists for NFL Defensive Player of the Year

Former Wisconsin Badgers Zack Baun (Philadelphia Eagles) and T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers) were named finalists for the AP Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday.

The inclusions are no surprise after the two were named first (Baun) and second-team All-Pro (Watt). The two are finalists for the award, along with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain.

Related: Recapping Wisconsin football’s winter transfer portal movement

Watt is a perennial contender for the league-wide honor. The Wisconsin legend won it in 2021, finished second in 2020 and 2023, and was third in 2019. The seven-time Pro Bowl participant has four All-Pro first-team honors, plus this year’s second-team nod.

Watt finished the 2024 campaign with 61 tackles, 27 quarterback hits, 19 tackles for loss, 11 1/2 sacks, six forced fumbles and four pass deflections. Those numbers, while impressive, failed to increase over the last month of the season. Watt tallied just two total tackles and one for loss over the final three weeks. He then failed to crack the stat sheet during the Steelers’ playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Baun, on the other hand, is one of the best stories from the 2024 NFL season. The former Wisconsin pass-rusher (2016-19) struggled to find a role with the New Orleans Saints after he was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He signed a small one-year contract with the Eagles last offseason, figuring to add depth to the linebacker room and special teams unit.

Instead, Baun broke out with 151 tackles (sixth-highest in the NFL), 11 for loss, five quarterback hits, 3 1/2 sacks, one interception, four pass deflections and five forced fumbles. He led an Eagles defense to a No. 2 finish in scoring defense (17.8 points per game) and No. 1 in total defense (278.4 yards per game).

Baun’s play is a big reason the Eagles are set to host the NFC championship game on Sunday.

The 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year will be announced during the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 6. Patrick Surtain (45 tackles, four interceptions) is the current favorite to win the award.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history

Stat fact: Broncos QB Bo Nix is unlikely to win Rookie of the Year, but he still had one of the best rookie seasons by a QB in NFL history.

Going into the 2024 NFL season, multiple outlets ranked Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix as the worst starting quarterback in the NFL.

Nix went on to have the greatest season by a rookie quarterback in franchise history, setting new team records for wins (10), completions (376), passing yards (3,775) and passing touchdowns (29).

Nix won Rookie of the Week honors three times, he twice won AFC Player of the Week and was named Rookie of the Month in October. He was just the second rookie in franchise history to win multiple Conference Player of the Week honors in a season.

Nix became the team’s first rookie quarterback since John Elway (1983) to start in Week 1, and he joined Elway as just the second rookie QB to ever lead the team to a postseason berth.

“He changed the ceiling a lot,” star cornerback Pat Surtain said of Nix. “A lot of times when rookie quarterbacks come in the expectations [are] set low, but he’s risen above all those expectations as a rookie. Him coming in with the right mindset, always staying composed, [having] the right confidence and attitude, I already knew he was going to be successful coming in.

“Through adverse times he would tell you through adverse situations he always kept his confidence, his swagger and that’s when I knew he was QB1 for the future for sure. I’m very proud of Bo.”

Nix’s season wasn’t just historic at the team level, though. He had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history.

Nix’s 34 total touchdowns ranked second all-time among rookie quarterbacks, only trailing Justin Herbert (36 in 2020) and Cam Newton (35 in 2011). His 29 passing touchdowns are the second-most in NFL history and his 376 completions rank third all-time.

Denver’s signal caller had seven games in 2024 with at least 200 passing yards, multiple passing touchdowns and no interceptions, setting a new NFL record. He passed the previous record of six games set by Herbert (2020) and C.J. Stroud (2023).

Nix ended the season with 29 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. His 2.4 touchdown to interception ratio marked the third-best among rookies all-time (with a minimum of 500 passing attempts).

Nix also became the first rookie to record multiple games with at least 300 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 140. Additionally, he became the first QB to ever have 20 total touchdowns and two or fewer turnovers in a ten-game span during a rookie season.

Nix’s five games with at least three touchdown passes are the second-most by a rookie, only trailing Herbert (six in 2020). He also tied Hebert’s record of ten games with multiple touchdown passes.

In the Broncos’ regular season finale, Nix started the game with 18 straight completions, the most by a rookie in NFL history. That completion streak was the fourth-longest by any player to begin a game in league history.

Nix ended that game with a 89.7% completion rate, setting a new franchise record. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate following his rookie campaign.

“Bo isn’t your average rookie,” veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “He comes in to work like a veteran. If no one knew that Bo was a rookie this year, and you just saw how he worked, and saw how he played on the field, no one would say, ‘That’s a rookie.’ I admire that about him.

“I admire that he doesn’t allow the outside circumstances or the outside noise to try to determine the type of player that he’s going to be. He has so much more. I told you all before — it’s only the beginning. I’m so excited [that] I get to experience Bo Nix’s career. However long I get to experience it, I know he’s going to play a lot longer than I will. However long I get to experience it, it’s a fun experience to be on.”

Among rookies with at least 500 drop backs, Nix’s 24 sacks were tied for the fewest in NFL history (Baker Mayfield also took 24 sacks in 2018). Nix proved to be tough to sack, and he made plays with his legs almost every week.

Nix rushed for four touchdowns as a rookie, passing Marlin Briscoe (three) for the second-most in franchise history (Tim Tebow had six). Nix also passed Tebow and Briscoe for the most rushing yards (430) by a rookie in team history.

“He’s a hard sack, right?” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Nix after the team’s season finale. “I also know it’s difficult if someone coming from the college ranks is sacked quite a bit, it’s difficult to change that. So, that statistic has as much to do with the quarterback, as it does the offensive line, and I think that he processes it and gets rid of it.

“The other thing I would say is, man, with his feet. Maybe there’s a little bit more there than we didn’t see, because you know, he didn’t run the shuttles and everything, but he can run and that’s kind of spaghetti sauce sometimes when the pocket isn’t clean.”

Nix ended the year in great company as one of just five rookies to post at least 3,500 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns as a rookie, joining Jayden Daniels (2024), Herbert (2020), Mayfield (2018) and Peyton Manning (1998).

In any other season, Nix probably would have won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately, Daniels was even better in 2024.

Nix and Daniels are two of five finalists for the NFL’s 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Given how often QBs win such awards, Daniels and Nix are the top two contenders, with Daniels the heavy favorite.

Daniels having a brilliant season does not negate the year that Nix had, though. Despite being the sixth QB taken in the 2024 NFL draft, Nix finished the year as the second-best rookie with one of the best rookie seasons ever. Denver made the right pick, and Nix has a bright future in the NFL.

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All of the awards Broncos CB Pat Surtain won in 2024

Broncos CB Pat Surtain has already had a decorated 2024 season, and a Defensive Player of the Year award might be on deck next.

Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain added to his trophy room this week when the Pro Football Writers of America and 101 Awards named him Defensive Player of the Year and AFC Defensive Player of the year, respectively.

These are the latest honors in a season full up accolades for Surtain. The 24-year-old cornerback was also named an AP first-team All-Pro, a PFWA All-NFL cornerback, a 2024 Pro Bowler and the Broncos’ Demaryius Thomas Team MVP this season.

Surtain now has two All-Pro nods on his resume, making him the third cornerback in franchise history to earn multiple first-team All-Pro selections. He’s also the third defensive player in franchise history to earn first-team All-Pro selections multiple times within his first four years in the NFL.

Here is the full list of awards Surtain has won so far this season.

Pat Surtain 2024 Awards

AP All-Pro (first team)
PFWA Defensive Player of the Year
101 AFC Defensive Player of the Year
PFWA All-NFL Team
Pro Bowl (starter)
Demaryius Thomas Team MVP
AFC Defensive Player of the Month (November)
AFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 5)

Surtain now has three Pro Bowl nods in his career. He is the fifth cornerback in team history to earn Pro Bowl selections in three consecutive seasons, and he’s the second cornerback to earn multiple Pro Bowl selections in his first four seasons (joining Willie Brown).

NFL NextGen Stats have provided great stats that demonstrate how dominant Surtain’s season was. Among cornerbacks with at least 375 coverage snaps, Surtain allowed the fewest receiving yards (306) and the second-lowest passer rating when targeted (59.1).

His 306 yards allowed were the fewest by a cornerback with at least 500 coverage stats since NextGen Stats started tracking that metric in 2016.

Going up against some of the NFL’s most talented receivers this season, Surtain allowed a total of 17 combined receptions for 166 yards in 243 coverage snaps against DK Metcalf, George Pickens, Mike Evans, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, Rashad Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Jerry Jeudy, Michael Pittman, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Brock Bowers, according to NextGen Stats.

Surtain is now one of five finalists for the AP‘s Defensive Player of the Year award. If he wins that award, Surtain will become the second player in franchise history to take home the honor, joining Randy Gradishar (1978).

Only six cornerbacks have ever won the AP DPOY award, with Stephon Gilmore being the most recent CB recipient in 2019. PS2 could join them as the seventh CB to win DPOY when AP awards are announced during NFL Honors on Feb. 6.

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Sean Payton might be a better Coach of the Year candidate than you think

The Broncos were projected to max out at five wins with the NFL’s “worst” roster in 2024. Sean Payton instead took them to the playoffs.

The Associated Press announced five finalists for the 2024 NFL Coach of the Year award on Thursday and Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton made the list.

Payton is not considered the favorite to win the award, but there is a strong case to be made for him. The other candidates are Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions), Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings), Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders) and Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs).

One could argue that Payton did more with less.

(Keep in mind that these AP awards are voted on at the end of the regular season, so postseason results are not considered.)

This offseason, expectations for the Broncos were lower than they were for the Vikings or Commanders (and obviously lower than the Lions and Chiefs). Denver was given an over/under win total of just 5.5 wins.

Before the season, Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos’ roster as the worst in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Pro Football Network predicted Denver would clinch the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft with a 3-14 record. Few, if any, national media outlets expected the Broncos to accomplish anything this season.

After moving on from veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, Payton took on the largest dead money salary cap hit in NFL history. Payton then used his first-round draft pick to select quarterback Bo Nix.

Despite being hindered by the salary cap and starting a rookie quarterback, Payton went 10-7 and clinched the team’s first playoff berth in nine years. Nobody believed in Denver going into the season, but Payton got his players to buy in.

“It’s funny — we kind of doubled what a lot of people thought we were going to win,” Nix said after the team’s regular season finale. “[That] goes to show that [there was] a lot of talk preseason, but you don’t have to be what people say you’re going to be.”

That sentiment was echoed by veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton.

“It’s so funny hearing all the things of, ‘The Broncos are going to win four games, and three games, and two games,'” Sutton said. “‘This, and this and that… Have a rookie quarterback, blah, blah, blah.’ I’m like, ‘Man, they had no idea what we had in this locker room and what we have in this locker room.'” 

The “worst” roster in the league produced five All-Pros, the second-most in franchise history. Surely, coaching matters.

The Broncos exceeded everyone’s expectations, largely thanks to Payton’s management of the team. That sounds like a Coach of the Year.

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3 Broncos nominated for NFL’s end-of-season awards

Congrats to Sean Payton (Coach of the Year), Pat Surtain (DPOY) and Bo Nix (OROY) for being named finalists for season-long NFL awards!

The Associated Press announced finalists for its season-long NFL awards on Thursday and three Denver Broncos are candidates to take home hardware.

Sean Payton has been nominated for Coach of the Year after leading a team with a 5.5 over/under win total to a 10-7 record. Denver reached the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2015 despite carrying the largest dead money salary cap hit in NFL history, and Payton did it with a rookie quarterback.

Payton’s competition for the award is Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions), Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings), Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders) and Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs).

Additionally, Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain was nominated for Defensive Player of the Year and quarterback Bo Nix was nominated for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Surtain allowed just 306 passing yards in 2024, the fewest among qualified cornerbacks. His competition for DPOY is Zack Baun (LB, Philadelphia Eagles), Myles Garrett (DE, Cleveland Browns), Trey Hendrickson (DE, Cincinnati Bengals) and T.J. Watt (LB, Pittsburgh Steelers).

Nix’s 29 passing touchdowns this season were the second-most in NFL history. His competition for OROY is Brock Bowers (TE, Las Vegas Raiders), Jayden Daniels (QB, Washington Commanders), Malik Nabers (WR, New York Giants) and Brian Thomas (WR, Jacksonville Jaguars).

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph did not make the list of Assistant Coach of the Year finalists, but former Broncos coach Vic Fangio (now a DC with the Eagles) did make the cut.

Fans should note that these awards were voted on at the conclusion of the regular season, so postseason results did not influence the voting.

The AP‘s award winners will be announced during NFL Honors on Feb. 6. The awards show will begin at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on Fox and NFL Network, but the program will not air live in all time zones.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid wins 101 Awards AFC Coach of the Year

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid won the 101 Awards’ AFC Coach of the Year honor after leading Kansas City to a 15-2 record in the regular season.

On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that longtime head coach Andy Reid won the 101 Awards’ AFC Coach of the Year.

The 101 Awards were created in 1969 by Chiefs’ founder and American football visionary Lamar Hunt to honor the best players and coaches from the AFC and NFC, including Coach of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year.

Reid won the award last year and has now been given his fifth Coach of the Year honor for his exceptional leadership in Kansas City.

The Chiefs lauded Reid for his latest accomplishment in a post on Twitter:

Though Reid hasn’t won the coveted Associated Press Coach of the Year award since 2002, his role in making Kansas City the epicenter of the football world can’t be overstated.

Stay tuned to see if Reid can lead the Chiefs to their third-consecutive Super Bowl appearance with a win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce won 2024 Nationwide Charity Challenge

This week, #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce won the 2024 Nationwide Charity Challenge.

On Wednesday, the NFL announced the Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce won the 2024 Nationwide Charity Challenge.

The Nationwide Charity Challenge is a major portion of the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year criteria and will help aid Kelce’s as he endeavors to win his first Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Kelce’s first-place finish in the Nationwide Charity Challenge awards his charity, 87 & Running, a donation of $35,000 from Nationwide and a significant advantage over the other nominees competing for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

The NFL commemorated Kelce’s accomplishment in a post to its official Twitter account this week:

Kelce most recently won the Nationwide Charity Challenge in 2020 for his work with local nonprofit Operation Breakthrough, an after-school program whose mission is to provide support, food security, and extracurricular opportunities to some of the most impoverished community members of Kansas City.

The 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year winner will be announced during the NFL Honors ceremony, which will be televised on FOX on Thursday, February 6.