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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