NFL Rumors: Sean Payton Almost Flew to Bo Nix to Tell QB Broncos Were Drafting Him

Sean Payton is a big fan of Bo Nix, but his appreciation for the rookie quarterback started even before the Denver Broncos drafted him.

According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Payton considered flying to Nix to tell him in person that the Broncos were planning to draft him back in April.

"You can't get in a conversation with Sean Payton without him bringing up how great Bo Nix is in like 0.2 seconds," Glazer said. "...Here's the thing with Bo Nix, he loved him going all the way back to March and his personal workout. We all know Sean's crazy, he comes up with this crazy idea two days before the draft. He says, 'I'm going to fly to where Bo Nix is and when he gets drafted, I'm going to knock on his door and personally tell him that we're drafting him.' That's how much he loves this dude."

In his final season at Oregon, Nix has 4,508 passing yards, 45 touchdowns and just three interceptions on his way to being named a Heisman Trophy finalist. His passing yards were the second most in the NCAA while his 45 touchdowns led college football.

While some teams weren't high on Nix, coming into the draft, Payton's confidence in him was unwavering.

Payton's appreciation for Nix has likely only increased after the way the 12th overall pick has performed this year.

Nix has 2,842 passing yards, which ranks 11th in the NFL and first among rookie quarterbacks. He's also collected 17 passing touchdowns, the 10th most in the league and most among rookies.

His performance has led the Broncos to an 8-5 season thus far after going 8-9 and missing the playoffs a season ago. Denver, which is third in the AFC West and currently sitting in seventh in the AFC, has a solid chance to snap its eight-year playoff drought this year.

The Broncos, who have a bye week this week, will take on the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs to close out the year.