Broncos agree to terms with first-round QB

The first of this year’s six first-round quarterbacks is under contract. The last of the Round 1 sextet will be the first to sign his rookie deal, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter indicating Bo Nix put pen to paper with the Broncos.

Although the Broncos have tried and failed repeatedly to replace Peyton Manning, Nix is the first Round 1 QB the team has turned to since the legendary passer’s retirement. The team whiffed badly on 2016 first-rounder Paxton Lynch. Chosen 14 spots earlier (12th overall), Nix will be counted on to help the franchise move on from the Russell Wilson mistake admission.

Setting a Division I-FBS QB record for 61 starts (at Auburn and Oregon), Nix dazzled at the Pac-12 program. The Broncos made an effort to separate the bevy of screen and short-yardage throws Nix made in the Ducks’ system — one that produced a 45-3 TD-INT ratio last season — and the team came away with an assessment Nix remained one of the draft’s most accurate passers. On the whole, Nix completed an astonishing 77.4 percent of his passes last season.

The Broncos have Jarrett Stidham under contract, and the team finalized a Zach Wilson trade days before the draft. The Sean Payton–George Paton combo had zeroed in on Nix by the time the Wilson trade was final, and it appears likely the five-year college starter will be under center early this season — if not by Week 1. The Broncos waived Ben DiNucci earlier this week. Stidham’s two-year, $10M deal calls for a $4.49M 2024 base salary; just $1M of that is guaranteed.

Payton admitted he played a part in a smokescreen effort centered around the Broncos as a threat to move up the board. While connections to J.J. McCarthy were present — leading to the Vikings to trade up two spots for the Michigan passer — the Broncos were enamored with Nix. They are believed to have rated the Oregon-developed prospect as this draft’s third-best QB. Many disagree with that assessment, but Payton will get to work training the 6-foot-2 passer in his system.