Bo Nix, Pat Surtain II, and Sean Payton have been named finalist for NFL awards

Broncos head coach Sean Payton, cornerback Pat Surtain II and rookie quarterback Bo Nix have been named finalists for NFL honors.

The NFL announced the finalists for their end-of-season awards this morning and a total of three Broncos were named as finalists for these awards. Head coach Sean Payton is a finalist for Coach of the Year, cornerback Pat Surtain II is a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, and rookie quarterback Bo Nix is a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

This was a successful season for a Broncos team that went from a team many assumed would be among the worst teams in the league to making the playoffs. They ended their postseason drought, won 10 games, had a total of five All-Pro players, and now have three members of the teams as finalists for the end-of-the-year awards.

Head Coach Sean Payton is a finalist for AP Coach of the Year after his work with the Broncos this past year. He joins Lions head coach Dan Campbell, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid as finalists for this award.

Payton is deserving of this award because the work he did with the Broncos this year. They were taking on a historic $80+ million dollar dead cap hit due to releasing quarterback Russell Wilson, a roster many believed to be among the worst in the league, and starting the season with a controversial rookie quarterback. Despite an 0-2 start, the Broncos would finish 10-7, have one of the best defenses in the league, and Bo Nix would be a rookie of the year finalist.

These were a lot of hurdles that would derail many teams and coaches, but Payton had the Broncos playing well and making the postseason. It was an incredible season, and they plan on building on it this offseason.

A big reason for the Broncos’ success on defense this year was because of shutdown All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II. He had the best season of his career this year and locked down every receiver lined up in front of him. He is the Broncos’ best player, the best cornerback in the league, and the favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Surtain has brought in all the awards so far this year. He was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team, named a first-team All-Pro, made other various All-Pro teams, and is now a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

He joins Eagles linebacker, Zack Baun, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt as the finalist for this award.

Vegas has Surtain II as the favorite for this honor and all signs point to him being named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The Denver Broncos selected Bo Nix with their 12th overall selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This selection was criticized due to “experts” believing Nix wasn’t a first-round pick and wouldn’t be a good starter in the league. Head coach Sean Payton had belief in his rookie quarterback and despite a slow start to the year, Nix would go on to have a historic rookie season for the Broncos.

He finished the season with 3,775 yards passing, 29 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, completed 66.3% of his passes, and had a quarterback rating of 93.3. and a QBR of 57.2. He also had 430 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns, and 1 reception for 2 yards and 1 touchdown.

His 29 passing touchdowns rank second all-time for a rookie quarterback and only trails Justin Herbert who had 31 in his rookie season. That is two more than third-place Baker Mayfield who had 27, three more than Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning who had 26, and 4 more than Jayden Daniels who is considered the favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

On the season, only Joe Burrow(43), Baker Mayfield(41), Lamar Jackson(41), Jared Goff(37), and Sam Darnold(35) had more passing touchdowns than Nix who had 29. When you break it down by conference, Nix had the 3rd most passing touchdowns in the AFC and had more than Josh Allen(28), Patrick Mahomes(26), and Justin Herbert(23) all of whom are considered the top quarterbacks in the league.

Nix joins Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, and Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. as the finalists for this award. While I believe Bo Nix had an incredible rookie year, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels who has his team one game away from the Super Bowl currently is a lock to win this award. With that said, it is still great to see Nix get this recognition from the league and hopefully, we see him included in these end-of-the-year awards more in the future.