Are Broncos worried about Payton, Nix tension after injury comments?

Not long after Denver Broncos starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken bone in his right ankle late in Denver’s 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills back on Jan. 17, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said that Nix had “a condition that was predisposed” regarding such an injury. 

Nix later insisted that wasn’t the case and that Payton might have been confused when the coach spoke about the situation. For a mailbag published on Wednesday, Broncos reporter Nick Kosmider of The Athletic was asked if tension exists between Payton and Nix “based on Payton’s comments about Nix’s ankle.” 

According to Kosmider, Denver fans shouldn’t lose sleep over such concerns. 

Sean Payton, Bo Nix “getting back to work” after injury comments

“Denver’s season ended with plenty of emotion,” Kosmider explained. “The Broncos fell four points shy of a trip to the Super Bowl. Nix was in the early days of recovery from surgery while also digesting the pain of having not been able to help his team reach its ultimate goal. Time soothes. The Broncos’ coach and quarterback are two hyper-competitive individuals, and that will create dynamic tension at times. But both figures talked excitedly, even while nursing the wounds created by the heartbreaking end to their season, about getting back to work and building toward another run. I don’t anticipate any lingering sentiment about how a late-January news conference unfolded will get in the way of that.” 

Shortly after Denver suffered a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner revealed that he plans to keep Payton and general manager George Paton married to each other “long-term.” Penner also said at that time that he had “zero concern” about Nix’s health coming off what was referred to as “a straightforward surgery.” 

Such comments indicate Penner had no reason to believe Nix and Payton wouldn’t be on the same page when springtime workouts get underway.

Bo Nix was frustrated for reasons not related to Sean Payton

“The frustration Nix shared during a conference call with reporters three days after the Broncos’ loss in the AFC Championship Game stemmed as much from what he deemed erroneous speculation surrounding his recovery timeline as from anything Payton shared about the quarterback’s injury,” Kosmider added. 

Previous reports claimed that Nix should be on track to be cleared for football activities at some point in May. Nix may have a worrisome history of ankle issues going back to high school, but it sounds like he and Payton have already put a potential controversy related to Payton’s comments to bed.