Broncos QB Bo Nix Reacts to John Elway's 'Cool' Message After Draft

John Elway seems to have christened Bo Nix as the new Denver Broncos quarterback.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Hall-of-Famer John Elway. / Ben Swanson/Denver Broncos/Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports

Not long after the Denver Broncos selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix in the first round of the NFL draft, we learned that John Elway was "excited" about the pick. The Hall-of-Famer and former Broncos GM called Nix "a great pick."

In the immediate aftermath of the Broncos drafting Nix at No. 12 overall, the former Heisman Trophy finalist received a text from Elway, known colloquially as the 'Duke of Denver.'

"That was a cool text for sure, made my dad a little mad, I think, because that was his favorite growing up so he was a little jealous,'' Nix said via ESPN's Jeff Legwold. "That was awesome and it was kind of like, 'Wow is this really happening?' But when you're in a special city like that where everybody supports, you know, the next generation, so that's one thing I took from that.''

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Nix's father, Patrick, wasn't alone in idolizing Elway. Nearly ever kid up and down the Rocky Mountain corridor had posters of Elway on their wall in the '80s and '90s. Despite becoming a perennial Pro Bowler and the league MVP in 1987, for the majority of his career, Elway couldn't translate those individual accolades into the ultimate team success.

The Broncos went 0-3 in the Super Bowl in the '80s. When Denver went back to the Super Bowl in 1997, Elway's mother expressed misgivings about him returning to the big dance for fear of having to suffer the crippling disappointment of another loss. The anxieties Mrs. Elway voiced to her son were shared by many in Broncos Country at the time.

But Elway finally triumphed, leading the Broncos to a massive upset over the defending World Champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Elway would punctuate his career with back-to-back World Championships before retiring in 1999. Little more than 15 years later, he hoisted another Lombardi Trophy as the architect of the Broncos' Super Bowl 50 team.

Elway's legacy casts a long shadow in the Mile High City. And it can be daunting for any quarterback tabbed as the future franchise guy.

Thankfully, Nix seems to have his head screwed on tight. And having a Super Bowl-winning head coach like Sean Payton to mentor and guide him as the Broncos' new starting quarterback is a massive boon.

“He’s been awesome," Nix said of Payton during rookie minicamp. "He’s been teaching me so much already. He’s got a lot of knowledge and he’s built a pedigree of when he talks, you listen. That is what I am excited [about]... You just can’t learn enough from him.”

Nix has genuflected and paid tribute to Denver's quarterback royalty, including Elway and Peyton Manning, the latter of whom he's known for some time due to his involvement with the Manning Passing Academy. It's good to see those same quarterback legends speaking highly of Nix.

He may be 24 years old, which is a couple years north of the league's preference for a first-round signal-caller, but the trade-off is that Nix is also the most experienced quarterback to ever enter the NFL draft, literally. His 61 career starts are an NCAA record, and he believes that experience gives him a leg up as begins his pro career with the Broncos.

“I think it will definitely help and for sure won’t hurt," Nix said of his experience. "I think experience is one of the best teachers, really in anything. The more you do something, the better you should get at it. Whatever happens, I know that I’m around a great support staff, I’m around great coaches who have been doing this at a high level for a very long time.”

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