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The Denver Broncos 2025-26 NFL season didn’t end the way they had hoped after falling to the New England Patriots, 10-7, in the AFC Championship Game.
However, the Broncos had an impressive 14-3 regular season, they won the AFC West for first time since 2015, and young second-year quarterback Bo Nix began to look like someone they could rely on long-term.
So there should be a lot of optimism in Denver going forward, right?
Well, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Not only did Nix break his ankle on one of the last plays of Denver’s AFC Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills, but he’s now apparently at odds with head coach Sean Payton over the way Payton discussed the injury.
Bo Nix Wants Sean Payton To Keep His Mouth Shut About His Ankle Injury
On Tuesday, Payton met with members of the media and said that Nix’s broken ankle was an inevitability rather than an unfortunate incident.
“What was found was a condition that was predisposed — they always find a little more when they go in,” he said. “It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when. When you look at the play and you’re trying to evaluate it — the operating surgeon said that this was going to happen sooner than later. Now, you go about the rehab, proper orthotics, all those things.”
This isn’t the first time Nix has suffered a serious ankle injury.
“He said he had one in high school, and then he said he had one at Auburn.” Payton told reporters after the AFC Divisional Round victory. “I said, ‘I didn’t realize that.’ I said, ‘If I would have known that, I wouldn’t have drafted you.’ He’s a tough cookie.”
Most people presumed Payton was joking about not drafting Nix…but now it appears that may not be the case.
🗣️ Bo Nix
“It’ll be absolutely no issue this offseason. I’ll be able to actually start training back at the same time I was going to start training”#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/TmfAWuxiOh
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) January 29, 2026
Nix held his own press conference on Thursday to discuss the injury, the surgery he had to repair it, and Payton’s statements.
“There was nothing that was predisposed,” Nix said. “Nothing that was there originally. That might have gotten confused…I don’t think he really should share how many surgeries I’ve had in the past, to be honest with you. He doesn’t even really know that.”
Those are not the words of a quarterback who is happy with his head coach.
Payton is well-known as a bristly character across the NFL. Now it appears that reputation has reached Nix, and the Broncos’ organization might have some mediation to do moving forward.