Sean Payton Shuts Down Bo Nix Benching Question

The Denver Broncos have not had as much success as everybody was thinking coming into the 2026 NFL season. 

Denver is 4-2, although at times it doesn't feel like that. The Broncos survived in a 17-14 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football, although the offensive struggles continued despite Sean Payton taking over as the primary play-caller. 

That led to some comments by Ryan Fitzpatrick, and former Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib had plenty to say about those comments. 

Going into Week 7, Payton was asked if he was going to consider benching quarterback Bo Nix, and Payton strongly shut that down. 

“To answer your question, no,” Payton said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “He’s going to become the byproduct of all the finer things that get improved. The improved play from our offensive line, the more efficient we are relative to balance, running the football. That’s our jobs as coaches here. We talked after the game about we’re excited to get that win, and yet at the same time find that improvement we need in all areas. So, it starts with all of us.”

It was quite the response from Payton, and it sure makes it clear that he doesn't plan on benching Nix anytime soon. 

Sure, the offense has struggled, but Denver is 4-2 going into Week 7, and they continue to find ways to win games. 

Nix went 17-of-27 for 107 yards with no scores, and both touchdowns on Thursday came via the running game as JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey each scored. 

Nix has thrown for 1,049 yards with just 6 touchdowns this season along with 3 interceptions, but he has a QB rating of 79.4 and a completion percentage of 60.3, both of which are on pace to be career-lows for the third-year signal-caller. 

Nix threw for 3,931 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in the regular season in 2025, so after six games, he is well below the pace to hit any of those numbers. 

Nix has yet to cross the 300-yard mark in a single game, and his highest of the season is 288 yards, which came in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

The only other QB option at the moment is Jarrett Stidham, who started the AFC title game loss in January after Nix suffered an injury in the Divisional Round win. 

So, it makes sense that Payton isn't going to bench Nix, at least not right now. On the other hand, this formula for winning is not something that is sustainable, so there might be more changes coming soon in the Mile High City. 

But, any talk of Bo Nix being replaced right now shouldn't be taken serious, especially with Denver tied in the AFC Wild Card standings going into Week 7.