The Denver Broncos have stumbled to a 3-2 record following their 23-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. After seeing the way the team's schedule shaped up in the first six weeks this season, most Broncos fans would have gladly taken that.
But it's the way the team is winning in a very unimpressive fashion that should have those fans concerned. The Broncos look lost on offense, and that is due to the play of Bo Nix and has little, if anything, to do with who is calling the plays.
Regardless of how this season turns out for Denver, the organization is going to have a huge decision to make after the season. Does it offer Nix a contract extension? Should the team exercise his fifth-year option to come up with more time to make a concrete
decision?
Colin Cowherd, host of The Herd on FS1, was once one of Nix's biggest supporters. But he has taken a very definitive stance on this subject.
Colin Cowherd says the Broncos should pass on any idea of an extension for Bo Nix
"You can't extend Bo Nix. You let the season play out... His first quarter passer rating is lower than Cam Ward and everybody thinks Cam Ward is a bust."@colincowherd thinks the Broncos need to start planning for Nix's replacement pic.twitter.com/nm8rbeIJhr
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) October 12, 2026
"I watched Bo Nix, and Sean Payton took over play-calling duties, and they still punted on their first series, like, this is what it is," said Cowherd on The Herd.
"It's okay to acknowledge we need a new flight plan."
If Nix continues to play as he has, this will be an incredibly difficult decision for the Broncos. Nix looked like he was finally the team's answer as a long-term solution at quarterback, something they hadn't had since Peyton Manning was around. They aren't going to want to go on a search for that guy again.
At the same time, a contract extension for Nix could cost the Broncos north of $55 million annually based on current quarterback contracts around the league, and that could seriously handcuff the team's salary cap situation, as Nix is making far less than that (about $5.9 million this season).
Nix still has 12 regular-season games to impact this decision one way or another.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Colin Cowherd says Broncos can’t give Bo Nix a contract extension
