Seattle Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald compares Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix to Drew Brees

It is not the first time he has heard it, and it will not be the last, but Denver Broncos Rookie quarterback Bo Nix was again compared to future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees. Even Sean Payton has made the comparisonAnd The Seattle Seahawks Head coach Mike Macdonald is the latest to make the connection between Brees and Nix.

With the Broncos opening the 2024 regular season on the road at Macdonald's Seahawks on Sunday, his observations of Nix Sean Payton could provide a clue as to what to expect on the defensive end.

“He plays on time,” Macdonald said of Nix. above ESPNby Brady Henderson. “He seems to make a lot of quick decisions, and then, similar to Drew (Brees), he's an underrated athlete who can just move in the pocket and extend plays. He seems to be really accurate. I think his arm is probably underrated. He can put the ball just about anywhere. I think his decision making and his speed of play is probably one of the things they like about him.”

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Macdonald also joined the ranks of NFL personnel praising Nix's arm and disproving pre-draft stereotypes about his scrawny arm. The Broncos believed Nix could make any throw in the NFL, and so far he's backed up that belief, and the players and coaches around him are saying the same thing in unison.

Nix, for his part, complemented Macdonald's staff, particularly the Seahawks' defense. Macdonald is in his first year as head coach after being hired as the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator to replace Pete Carroll in Seattle.

“I'm excited. Seattle is a good team,” Nix said on Wednesday. “They have a good defense that [and] a lot of good players with a new scheme. It will be interesting to see what they will play. I think they will be very well coached and they will be talented. It will be a hostile environment, but it will be fun. It will be a good first game.”

Nix performed well in training camp and the preseason, breaking into the Broncos' starting lineup. But the stakes are raised in Seattle, and Week 1 is just the tip of the NFL iceberg that Nix will face.

But like Brees before him, Nix's trump card is Payton's leadership. Together, Payton and Brees won many games for the New Orleans Saintsincluding a Super Bowl. As exciting as the comparisons are, Nix will only continue to be associated with Brees when he delivers on the field.

Payton's rebuilding of the Broncos couldn't begin until he had a quarterback in his image as a cornerstone. It won't be easy for Nix – it is the NFL, after all – but the 24-year-old seems ready for the spotlight and the expectations.

The Broncos-Seahawks game begins at 2:05 p.m. MDT on Sunday at Lumen Field.