Good morning, Broncos Country!
The ultimate sign of respect is being named a captain.
It shows that teammates want and trust these guys as their leaders. They want to follow the players whom they name a captain. When the time comes, teammates know these guys will do whatever it takes for the team.
Earlier this week, the Denver Broncos named their nine team captains.
The Broncos’ captains for 2026 are quarterback Bo Nix, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, guard Quinn Meinerz, cornerback Pat Surtain II, linebacker Alex Singleton, nose
tackle DJ Jones, safety Talanoa Hufanga, safety/special teamer Devon Key, and kicker Wil Lutz.
“It’s an honor to be a captain on our team because it’s voted by the players,” Nix said to the media earlier this week. “It’s a special honor when your peers and teammates vote you to be one of the leaders of our team. We have several leaders and to be named one … It’s a great responsibility, and with that comes a lot of opportunity, but also it’s a big weight to carry.
“It’s not something to be thrown around lightly. My leadership style has evolved as I’ve gotten older because I’ve experienced more and understood what it’s like to essentially get someone to follow you. That’s what a leader is. I’ve gone from an action-based leader when I first got here because, honestly, I was just trying to swim, and not drown, and do my role and do my part on the team while also leading by action. I feel like now I can sort of lead a little bit more vocally because I’m a little more aware and have a few more things under my belt that I can fall back on.”
For Sutton, this is the sixth consecutive year he’s been named a captain in Denver.
“I’ll tell you all the same thing I told the team,” Sutton said to the media. “There’s an immense amount of gratitude that comes from being named captain. To be able to have your peers and the guys that you share work with, locker room, practice, film, games, bus rides, flights, the whole nine, you share those moments with, for them to, not just myself, but the rest of the guys that were named captains, to look at us and say, ‘We trust that you guys are going to help guide us in the right direction and we believe in you guys to be the anchor for us, for the ship to be going into the direction we want to go towards.’ I just have a lot of gratitude and thankfulness that, I know it’s the same, but that comes from being named captain for another season.”
For Broncos head coach Sean Payton, the captains’ responsibilities are fairly simple. He also doesn’t meet with them regularly.
“No, I think it’s a sign of just the leadership within the locker room,” Payton said to the media. “I don’t have a council meeting with them, for instance, every two or three weeks, but I think it’s just a recognition of how they’re seen by their peers. They all lead differently. There are a number of guys who are going to be significant leaders for us who aren’t wearing a patch. So I think the first thing is just being authentic and being yourself.”
Players like Lutz know the expectations that come with being named a captain by their teammates and what it means.
“It means a lot. I think when you’re voted as a captain by the guys that you come to work with every day, and you spend a lot of time with, I think that’s the ultimate sign of respect, and I don’t take it lightly. It’s pretty cool.”
