Sean Payton downplays Bo Nix and Troy Franklin reuniting in the NFL

Three rounds after selecting Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos added his favorite wide receiver: Troy Franklin.

Franklin was thrilled to be picked by the Broncos, and the quarterback and receiver are understandably excited about reuniting in the NFL. Fans are excited about the chemistry between the duo that can carry over into the pros, but coach Sean Payton downplayed it this spring.

“A lot is made of that, I get it,” Payton said on May 11. “No one’s asked me about the [Jonah] Elliss-[Devaughn] Vele connection from Utah. It certainly doesn’t hurt. They are two young players working to improve, and then periodically on a play they happen to — but I think it’s a different system now, different routes. I think that being familiar with another player helps, but so much of that ends up being coincidence.

“Now what wasn’t a coincidence was when we selected Bo, and we had been to the pro day and a private workout. At Bo’s private workout, Troy was there and a number of teammates — they didn’t have to be — they were there. You get to know these guys, the running back [Bucky Irving] really made a good impression. So after the first round, the next day we were having lunch, and Troy hadn’t been drafted. I asked Bo, ‘How does he learn? Just one more time through, take me through it.’ But I think that, like, if didn’t even know, you would have said, ‘Man, Vele seems to have a pretty good rapport with Bo today.’ In other words, I think maybe it’s a little overblown.”

Those comments from Payton might be an attempt to put a damper on unrealistic expectations, but he did admit their experience together in college certainly won’t hurt. How much it helps remains to be seen.

Some Broncos fans might be envisioning the next Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase connection, but it should be noted that Burrow was a No. 1 overall pick and Chase was a fifth overall pick. Nix, meanwhile, was the sixth QB taken in his draft and Franklin was a fourth-round pick.

That’s not to say Nix and Franklin won’t have success in the NFL, but fans expecting a Burrow-Chase duo might be disappointed. Payton is smart to temper expectations. Denver obviously hopes they turn out to be a great QB-WR combination, but fans should let it play out on the field before making any bold proclamations.