Colin Cowherd comparing Bo Nix to Tom Brady isn't as bad as it sounds

After the Denver Broncos named Bo Nix their starting quarterback, Colin Cowherd compared it to Tom Brady being named a starter, which understandably drew plenty of backlash on social media.

At first glance, that sounds like an outrageous comparison, but there was nuance to Cowherd’s remark.

“Big news, Sean Payton officially named Bo Nix as the starting quarterback,” Cowherd said Wednesday. “It’s like naming [Tom] Brady the starter in New England in Year 5 — it’s obvious.”

Cowherd’s point: Nix being named the starter was something we all saw coming. Brady being named the Patriots’ Week 1 starter five years into his career was obvious, and Nix winning Denver’s QB competition was easy to predict. He’s not calling Nix the next Brady.

Cowherd then praised Nix for beating out the competition.

“That’s pretty early to name him the starting quarterback,” Cowherd said. “He separated from excellent, talented backup Jarrett Stidham, who’s not cheap. [And] Zach Wilson. Those guys are way above average backups. Way above average backups.”

Cowherd worked with Sean Payton at Fox Sports when the coach took a year off from football, and it’s clear that he has a good relationship with the coach. Cowherd ranked Payton as the NFL’s fourth-best coach earlier this year and he has been a Boliever since the pre-draft process.

Cowherd may be generous with his Broncos commentary, but the Brady “comparison” wasn’t as outlandish as some have suggested. It was simply a throwaway comment about Nix being expected to win the QB1 job.