Inside Sean Payton’s big appeal for Bo Nix: How the Oregon star impressed his new Broncos coach before learning he was Denver-bound alongside new wife Izzy Smoke in Alabama
As Bo Nix took a Denver Broncos call Thursday night, his father lowered his head and started crying.
His mother and his wife, Izzy Smoke, could barely hide their excitement as they flashed wide smiles.
Nix, however, who would soon be selected 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, was as cool and collected as he was in the pocket.
“You want to win a Super Bowl?” he said over the phone, in a video posted on Oregon Football X Account. ‘Okay, let’s go.’
He then greeted his new boss, Broncos coach Sean Payton.
Nix’s family beamed when he was selected No. 12 overall by the Broncos on Thursday night
Broncos coach Sean Payton was clearly impressed with Nix’s preliminary visit in March
“Coach Payton, what’s up?” Are you ready to ride?, he said, sitting forward in his seat.
Moments later, Denver made Nix the sixth quarterback selected in the first round.
While the former Auburn and Oregon passer didn’t become a Bronco until Thursday night, the wheels were set in motion last month.
After Nix’s pro day in Oregon on March 12, he held a private workout with the Broncos.
The day before this training, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefer, the team sent him “three packages” of offensive play setup.
The next morning, while they were interviewing the prospect, he allegedly “crushed” him and convinced the Broncos he was their quarterback of the future as he took the field and threw for an hour.
The journey to this point has been a winding one for Nix, who played five years of college football – three with Auburn and two with Oregon.
Nix was brilliant at the University of Oregon and was a Heisman finalist last season
Nix and his wife, Izzy Smoke, got married in summer 2022 according to social media
Nix and his wife, Izzy, are seen on the sidelines of a game in Oregon. The couple met in Auburn
Nix’s father slumped in his seat and cried when the Broncos called his son on Thursday
After three solid seasons at Auburn, Nix had two terrific seasons at Oregon, where he threw 74 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and completed nearly 75 percent of his passes in 27 games.
He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting after this season and will now look to end Denver’s eight-year playoff drought.
While his time at Oregon elevated him to a high-level draft prospect, it was at Auburn where he met his wife Izzy, who was a cheerleader at the SEC school.
According to PEOPLE, the couple first met in June 2020 before getting engaged at the Auburn football stadium and later marrying in the summer of 2022.
Now, the couple will reside in Denver, as Nix will play for a franchise that has fielded 13 starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning retired as a Super Bowl champion after the 2015 season.
Their eight-year playoff drought is exacerbated by seven straight losing seasons and Patrick Mahomes leading division rival Kansas City to three Super Bowl parades in five years, including the last two.
Nix threw 74 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions at the University of Oregon.
He will now team up with Denver coach Sean Payton as Denver looks to end its playoff drought.
Nix is now ready to try to lift Denver out of its nearly decade-long slump.
He thanked the Broncos for “trusting me.”
“There will be a lot of things to do in the future, a lot of work to do, a lot of growth and a lot of improvement,” Nix said. “But again, I just appreciate the value that they had in me.”
Nix joins a quarterback room that includes newly acquired Zach Wilson, who the Broncos traded for on Monday after the 2021 second overall pick had three disappointing seasons with the New York Jets.
Also on the list are Jarrett Stidham, who split his two starts last season after coach Sean Payton benched Russell Wilson, and Ben DiNucci.
“Well, I know everyone has to compete, I know everyone has to go to work,” Nix said. “We haven’t had any conversations so far after the draft. But I’m just looking forward to going around the locker room, looking forward to being around the guys, meeting all my new teammates, meeting the coaches and get to work.
