‘I’m not concerned with that,’ Broncos coach Sean Payton tells Kay Adams after fears over rookie quarterback Bo Nix

DENVER Broncos head coach Sean Payton is not worried about quarterback Bo Nix’s age.

The former Oregon standout was drafted with the No. 12 overall NFL pick at the age of 24, making him one of the oldest rookie QBs in the league.

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Nix spent three seasons at Auburn before playing for the Ducks for another two years.

He arrived in the NFL with 61 college football games under his belt.

Despite the vast college experience, many considered the age at which he starts his pro career as an issue.

Payton acknowledged that Nix’s case is unique in an interview with Kay Adams .

“It’s unusual to have someone that started 61 college games and that’s a lot and part of that’s COVID and transferring,” the Broncos head coach said.

“He’s married. So with Bo, you do feel [like he’s] a more experienced player.

“You don’t feel [he’s] a true rookie.”

But asked about the concerns over Nix’s age, Payton said he, personally, had none.

“Yeah, I’m not concerned with that,” he said.

“I mean, we’ve seen some of the best quarterbacks ever play our game have their really their best years into their 30s.

“So it was more about getting it right. And look, you could take an experienced quarterback who’s at 61 [games], who’s mature,
that may not be good enough.

“We saw [him being] really, really good when we evaluated him.”

Payton pointed out that the Broncos did notice Nix’s tendency to throw underneath passes, though, partly stemming from the kind of offense he played with the Ducks.

“But you know, we did all the analytics and the studies with him,” he continued.

“We eliminated those throws in the comparison, side by side, to the class.”

Nix impressed in his preseason debut, a 34-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts last week.

He ended the game 15-of-21 for 125 passing yards and a touchdown.

However, the Ducks product came off the bench with Jarret Stidham leading the Broncos offense at the beginning of the clash — and Zach Wilson also getting reps.

Still, Nix’s promising performance appears to make him a likely candidate to win the starting QB job — if not in Week 1 then at some point during the 2024 NFL campaign.

Payton told Adams he wasn’t yet ready to name his starting quarterback just one game into the preseason.