Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has openly criticized head coach Sean Payton for disclosing too much about his past injuries. The situation arose after Nix suffered a significant setback during a crucial playoff game.

Nix endured a broken ankle in the final moments of the Broncos’ playoff victory against the Buffalo Bills on January 17. This injury, severe enough to require surgery, sidelined him for the remainder of the postseason. As a result, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham stepped in during the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they narrowly lost in a snowy 10-7 defeat.

Following the game, Coach Payton remarked on Nix’s history with ankle injuries, suggesting that such an incident was inevitable. “It wasn’t a matter of if, but when,” Payton commented, referencing Nix’s prior ankle issues.

Nix’s history includes a fractured ankle during high school and a previous ankle surgery in his rookie year with the Broncos. Payton elaborated that the recent surgery revealed a pre-existing condition, noting, “They always find a little more when they go in.”

The quarterback had a fractured ankle in high school and needed ankle surgery before in his rookie year with the Broncos. Payton said this latest procedure ‘found a condition that was predisposed – they always find a little more when they go in.’

But Payton’s comments irked Nix, who moved to defiantly set the record straight.

Bo Nix was not happy about his head coach Sean Payton’s comments about his ankle injury

Denver Broncos coach Payton said Nix’s past meant a bad ankle injury was inevitable 

‘I don’t think he really should share how many surgeries I’ve had in the past, to be honest with you, he doesn’t even really know that,’ the quarterback said, as per ESPN.

He explained of his surgery, carried out in Birmingham, Alabama: ‘Nothing predisposed, nothing that was there originally. 

‘That might have gotten confused. (The injury was) just a simple step with my foot up in the air, my body weight came down on it, sort of got twisted up.

‘It could have been a worse landing, but I think all that force went into the only place it could.’

The remarkable comments underline how the pair, who enjoyed such great success together this season, are not on the same page at present.

They went 14-3 in the regular season and had locked up the No 1 seed going into the playoffs but Nix’s injury all but derailed their campaign. The quarterback had 25 passing touchdowns to his name in 2025, too.

Nix, 25, said that he should be able to start training again in 4-6 weeks and insisted he has no long-term fears over the issue.

As for missing the Patriots showdown, Nix added: ‘It was a bummer. It was a tough week. It was not necessarily the most fun I’ve ever had playing football. But life teaches you lessons.

Nix had a fantastic season in Denver but his ankle injury derailed the campaign for the Broncos

Nix, pictured with his wife Izzy, said he could be back training in just 4-6 weeks

‘For me it’s just going to make playing in one of these games all that much more special. 

‘I can’t go back and play in that one, but, man, I can do something to see how many I can play in in the future. That drives me.’

After beating the Broncos with Nix watching from the stands, the Patriots now head to the Super Bowl to take on Seattle Seahawks.

The game is held in Santa Clara at Levi’s Stadium, home to the San Francisco 49ers, on Sunday February 8. 

As for Payton and the Broncos, once he has repaired his rift with his quarterback, attention on the 2026 season will intensify. 

The NFL combine starts Feb. 26 and the draft is at the end of April, where the Broncos have the 30th pick in the first round.