The Denver Broncos ended their eight-year playoff drought in 2024 with rookie quarterback Bo Nix looking like the real deal. The Broncos went 10-7 in the NFL regular season and secured a Wild Card berth in Week 18.
Head coach Sean Payton has the team moving in the right direction, and Denver legend Peyton Manning feels confident his former team will do what is necessary to reach the next level.
Peyton Manning Is Confident Broncos Will Take the Next Step
The 2015 Broncos won Super Bowl 50 and sent Manning into retirement on top of the mountain. The team missed the playoffs at 9-7 the following year and didn’t have another winning season until this past season.
Payton was hired as head coach heading into the 2023 season and battled to an 8-9 record in his first year. He inherited Russell Wilson as his quarterback, and saying they had a tense relationship is an understatement. Denver had given Wilson a five-year, $245 million extension in 2022, so Payton had to wait a year before letting the veteran QB go.
The head coach knew he needed a signal-caller heading into the 2024 NFL Draft and shocked many by signing off on taking Nix at No. 12 overall. The rookie fought through a rocky start to end up in the Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion, throwing for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Denver lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, but the foundation is there for the team to be contenders in the AFC. In order to beat the Bills or their division-rival Kansas City Chiefs, general manager George Paton must continue investing in his team.
Manning recently had a 1-on-1 interview with RG and is confident Payton and Paton will make the right moves. He was asked what the team needs to do to get to an elite level.
“I don’t know. I think Sean Payton knows exactly what they need, and I think he and general manager George Paton will go and get it this offseason in the draft.”
In its latest mock draft, PFSN has the Broncos selecting Michigan Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland at pick 20.
“I think what they were able to accomplish this year, it was pretty awesome,” says Manning of the 2024 Broncos. It took until Week 18 to secure a playoff berth, but Denver was a blocked field goal away from beating Kansas City on the road in Week 10.
Manning finished with, “It’s a tough division, but I think they’ll go out and try to get some different players and be even better next year.”
Denver should be a dangerous team in 2025 and potentially push the Chiefs for the divisional crown. They may not be AFC West champions next season, but the new-look Broncos are here to stay.