Pat Surtain II is excited for another year of Bo Nix, says he’s a ‘tremendous leader’

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has the support of his teammates heading into his second year, who said that the young quarterback is as confident as ever

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Jul 22, 2025, 12:13 PM Updated: 12:15 pm

Follow on Google News

Watch: Day 2 Broncos Camp Report: Competition Abounds | Orange and Blue Today | 58 mins

All of Broncos Country was pleased to see that the quarterback carousel finally came to an end last year with the performance of Bo Nix. It wasn’t just the fans who were relieved, many of the team’s top players also liked the sight, including Pat Surtain II, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year. After eight years of not having an answer under center, it seemed like the Broncos were becoming the Cleveland Browns with their inability to find a reliable signal caller, but Nix put an end to it.

Heading into year two, Nix has the attention of many eyes around the NFL who are looking to see if he’s hit his potential already, if he can keep growing into a Pro Bowler or if he’s headed for a sophomore slump like so many other quarterbacks have suffered from.

His star player on defense is fully backing him and has the confidence that Nix can continue his growth as an NFL quarterback.

“Bo, he’s even more confident going into this year. Obviously, with year one under his belt, a lot more confidence rises upon that. The team, we have Bo’s back the whole way through. He’s a tremendous leader out there, obviously a tremendous player. This year, he’s going to make a lot of noise and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does and his success moving forward,” Surtain said at the first day of Broncos training camp on Tuesday.

In his rookie season, Nix threw for 3,775 yards while completing over 66% of his passes, and finished with 29 touchdowns (second-most all-time by a rookie) and 12 interceptions. While he might not have been the most explosive quarterback at times, with a lot of his throws coming close to or behind the line of scrimmage, he still executed Payton’s offense at a good level which led the Broncos offense to a handful of great games and a playoff berth.

Don’t forget, when Nix wanted to, he showed that he could fire the cannon and hit some guys in stride deep down the field.

BO NIX WITH AN ABSOLUTE DIME TO MARVIN MIMS JR. FOR A 93-YARD TOUCHDOWN 😤 pic.twitter.com/DDtQPMFD80

— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2024

It’s not just Surtain supporting Nix, he’s also got his offensive line behind him this season as the same five is returning from a year ago. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey spoke on his quarterback as well at practice on Tuesday.

“The way that he looked in the spring and the way that he came back and the energy that he came back with … his confidence is going to radiate through the whole team. Bo’s done a great job of that, he’s a pro’s pro in the way that he approaches thae game and the way that he treats his teammates, he’s going to be a great player for us this year, McGlinchey said.

The veteran tackle also had good things to say about Nix’s mentality on top of the confidence he’s showed heading into the 2025 season.

“Certainly, the experience of playing football games in this league is very, very valuable. You know, now, he knows what it feels like, he knows what it looks like. He knows, obviously, that he is very good at it,” McGlinchey said. “I think that just gives him the hunger for more. I think that’s what’s really impressive about Bo is his competitive nature of just trying to get the most out of himself every single day. That ability to stack those days is why he improved so vastly and so fast as the season went on last year. I only expect the same things from him this year, like it was last year.”

Nix has Broncos Country behind him, he has his teammates behind him and he has his coaching staff behind him. While it all looks pretty on paper, he still has to go out there and make the improvements himself to help lead the charge on a deeper playoff run this year.