The Denver Broncos are 11-2 through 14 weeks on the heels of a 10-7 season in quarterback Bo Nix’s first season. That’s 21 wins in the past 30 games. But it wasn’t always like this. Before the 2024 season, the Broncos endured seven straight losing seasons since 2016 (9-7). There was the Vance Joseph-led Broncos, the Vic Fangio-led Broncos, and the Nathaniel Hackett-led Broncos. Then Broncos general manager George Paton traded for Sean Payton during the 2023 offseason.
Our Savior Has Arrived
Nix said, “The best quarterbacks of all time manage the game at a high level. … 10 wins is a long time (to not lose). I don’t think at any stage of football, I’ve ever won 10 in a row. I take that back, my junior year I did. We have come a long way. And it’s just a great number. I mean, it’s hard to do. And guys have battled, and we’ve been through a lot of crap.”
Circling back to the Joseph-led Broncos, Denver had won the Super Bowl during the 2015-2016 season. But with Joseph, two seasons later, the Broncos finished 5-11. Then, a year later, the Joseph-led Broncos were 6-6 in December with Case Keenum at quarterback. Denver went 0-4 down the stretch to finish 6-10, and Joseph was fired. The remains of a Super Bowl team finished with back-to-back double-digit loss seasons.
When Fangio came into the fold, quarterback Drew Lock was supposed to be the answer. The latter went 4-1 as a rookie. The Broncos finished 7-9, but went 5-11 in 2020 with Lock as the full-time starter. In 2021, then-GM John Elway basically fired himself with a promotion and hired Paton.
Paton stayed with Fangio for a season, drafting cornerback Pat Surtain II over force-picking quarterbacks Justin Fields or Mac Jones — and trading for Teddy Bridgewater. The Broncos were 7-5 in games Bridgewater started and finished in 2021, but ended up 7-10 on the season. Lock went 0-3 as well.
After whiffing on Hackett in 2022 (5-12), Paton traded for Payton. The Broncos went 8-9 in their final season with Wilson, then Paton and Payton drafted Nix. The rest is history.
Elsewhere, the Broncos are maximizing Nix’s rookie deal, with astute drafting from Paton. The latter didn’t have a first- or second-round pick in the 2022 or 2023 NFL drafts. One notable draft pick of Paton is rookie running back RJ Harvey, who finally arrived in Week 14 of the 2025 season.