When the Denver Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, Bo Nix will become the team’s first rookie quarterback to start in Week 1 since John Elway started against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983.
Elway went on to win two Super Bowls during his Hall of Fame career, but he struggled in his debut. After going 1-of-8 passing for 14 yards with one interception and four sacks, Elway was benched at halftime. Steve DeBerg replaced him in the second half and Denver went on to defeat the Steelers 14-10 on the road.
Nix will aim to avoid being replaced by veteran Jarrett Stidham against the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.
“It will be a special moment,” Nix said after being named the team’s starter in August. “Obviously, that’s great to share with such a great player like John Elway, but definitely want to consider going out there and doing whatever I can do ultimately for the team.
“It doesn’t matter when your first start is and doesn’t matter if you have to wait or go right now. You just want to get out there, get the first win, ultimately compete at a high level and give your team the best chance possible. That is what my goal is at the beginning. Just give our team the best chance to go out there and win games every week.”
Nix will also become the team’s 14th starting quarterback since Peyton Manning retired following the 2015 season. After releasing Russell Wilson in March and taking on the largest dead money salary cap hit in NFL history, the Broncos have found their replacement in Nix. It’s Bo Time.