Bo Nix Leads First-Round Quarterbacks With Denver Broncos Rookie Contract

Former Oregon Duck quarterback Bo Nix is the first of the the six NFL Draft first-round quarterbacks to reach an agreement on his rookie contract.

Feb 3, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; National quarterback Bo Nix of Oregon (10) looks on during the second / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Former Oregon Duck quarterback Bo Nix is the first of the the six NFL Draft first-round quarterbacks to reach an agreement on his rookie contract, setting the pace.

The Denver Broncos quarterback signed a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.61 million deal with a fifth-year option, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Nix also gets a $10.36 million signing bonus and has a $3.384 million cap hit for 2024.

Feb 3, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; National quarterback Bo Nix of Oregon (10) looks on during the second / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Nix joined Denver's rookies at rookie minicamp on Friday, taking the field for the first time with Broncos coach Sean Payton.

"I want to be able to show my improvements and show that I can do what (Denver) picked me to do," Nix said. "And that's to go out there and help win games, do whatever I can to put his team in a better situation."

The Broncos selected Nix with the No. 12 overall pick. It's the first time ever coach Payton drafted a quarterback in the first two rounds of the draft in his career.

By signing the dotted line, the Russell Willson era is over in the mile high city and the Nix era is officially beginning.

Nix and wide receiver Troy Franklin are pegged as Broncos rookies to possibly start NFL week one. Franklin has yet to sign his contract.

Nix, the 2023 Pac-12 Offensive Player Of The Year, will wear jersey No. 10 for the Broncos. Fellow Bronco quarterback Zach Wilson did have the No. 10 jersey for Denver but switched to No. 4. Wilson, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 draft, wore No. 2 during his three years as quarterback for the New York Jets.

Nix has worn No. 10 all his life. He wore No. 10 at Pinson Valley (Alabama) High School and No. 10 at both Auburn and Oregon. It is also a family number, his dad Pat Nix wore No. 10 as Auburn’s starting quarterback in the mid-1990s.

The Heisman Trophy finalist is also the most experienced quarterback from the 2024 draft. His 61 career starts broke the NCAA record for most all-time by a FBS quarterback. The 23-year-old also broke the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage in 2023 at 77.45, completing a whopping 364 of 470 passes. 

For the Ducks, transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel takes over. In 2023 with the Oklahoma Sooners, Gabriel totaled 3,660 passing yards with a 69 percent completion rate.