When Bo Nix got a call from the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, his father hung his head and started crying.
His mother and his wife, Izzy Smoke, could barely hide their excitement as they smiled broadly.
However, Nix, who would soon be selected 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, was as calm and collected as he was in the pocket.
“Do you want to win a Super Bowl?” he said by phone, in a video posted on Oregon Football X Account. ‘Okay let’s go.’
He then greeted his new boss, Broncos coach Sean Payton.
Nix’s family smiled when the Broncos selected him 12th overall Thursday night.
Broncos coach Sean Payton was clearly impressed by Nix’s pre-draft visit in March.
‘Coach Payton, what’s up? ‘Are you ready to roll?’ he said as he leaned forward in his seat.
Moments later, Denver made Nix the sixth quarterback selected in the first round.
While the former Auburn and Oregon quarterback didn’t become a Bronco until Thursday night, the wheels were set in motion last month.
After Nix’s pro day in Oregon on March 12, he held a private workout with the Broncos.
The night before that training, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team sent him ‘three packages’ of offensive game installation.
The next morning, while the prospect was being questioned, he reportedly “crushed” him and further convinced the Broncos that he was the quarterback of the future when he took the field and threw for an hour.
The journey to that point was a winding one for Nix, who played five years of college football: three with Auburn and two with Oregon.
Nix starred at the University of Oregon and was a Heisman finalist last season.
Nix and his wife, Izzy Smoke, got married in the summer of 2022 according to social media
Nix and his wife, Izzy, are seen on the sidelines of an Oregon game. The couple met in Auburn.
Nix’s father slumped in his seat and cried when the Broncos called his son Thursday.
After three solid seasons at Auburn, Nix had two terrific seasons at Oregon, where he threw for 74 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and completed nearly 75 percent of his passes in 27 games.
He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting after this season and will now look to end Denver’s eight-year playoff drought.
While his time at Oregon elevated him to a top draft prospect, it was at Auburn where he met his wife Izzy, who was a cheerleader at the SEC school.
According PEOPLEThe couple first met in June 2020 before getting engaged at Auburn’s football stadium and then marrying in the summer of 2022.
Now, the pair will reside in Denver, as Nix will play for a franchise that has had 13 starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning retired as a Super Bowl champion after the 2015 season.
Their eight-year playoff drought is exacerbated by seven straight losing seasons and watching Patrick Mahomes lead division rival Kansas City to three Super Bowl appearances in five years, including the last two.
Nix threw for 74 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions while at the University of Oregon.
He will now team up with Denver coach Sean Payton as Denver looks to break its playoff drought.
Nix is now ready to try to lift Denver out of its nearly decade-long stagnation.
He thanked the Broncos for “putting their beliefs in me.”
“There’s a lot to do in the future, a lot of work to do, a lot of growth and a lot of improvement,” Nix said. “But again, I appreciate the value they had in me.”
Nix joins a quarterback room that includes newly acquired Zach Wilson, whom the Broncos traded on Monday after the 2021 second overall pick had three disappointing seasons with the New York Jets.
Also on the roster is Jarrett Stidham, who split his two starts last season after coach Sean Payton benched Russell Wilson and Ben DiNucci.
“Well, I know everyone has to compete, I know everyone has to go to work,” Nix said. ‘We haven’t had any conversations so far after the preparation of the draft. But I can’t wait to tour the locker room, I can’t wait to be around the guys, meet all my new teammates, meet the coaches and get to work.’