Inside Bo Nix’s big call from Sean Payton: How Oregon star impressed his new Broncos coach before learning he was Denver-bound alongside his new bride Izzy Smoke in Alabama

As Bo Nix took a call from the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, his father slumped his head and began to cry.

His mother and his wife, Izzy Smoke, could barely hide their excitement as they flashed wide smiles.

Nix, though, who would soon be selected No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, was as cool and collected as he is in the pocket.

‘You wanna win a Super Bowl?,’ he said into the phone, in a video posted to Oregon Football’s X account. ‘All right, let’s go.’

He then greeted his new boss – Broncos coach Sean Payton.

‘Coach Payton, what’s up? You ready to roll?,’ he said as he sat forward in his seat.

Moments later, Denver made Nix the sixth quarterback selected in the first round.

While the former Auburn and Oregon passer didn’t become a Bronco until Thursday night, the wheels were set in motion last month.

After Nix’s Oregon pro day on March 12, he held a private workout with the Broncos.

The night before that workout, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team sent him ‘three packets’ of offensive play installation.

The next morning, as they quizzed the prospect, he reportedly ‘crushed it,’ and further convinced the Broncos he was their quarterback of the future as 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.

After three solid seasons at Auburn, Nix had two terrific seasons at Oregon, where he threw for 74 touchdowns with 10 interceptions and he completed almost 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-level draft prospect, it was at Auburn where he met his wife Izzy, who was a cheerleader at the SEC school.

According to PEOPLE, the couple first met in June 2020 before getting engaged at Auburn’s football stadium and later tying the knot in the summer of 2022.

Now, the couple will reside in Denver, as Nix will play for a franchise which has churned through 13 starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning retired as a Super Bowl champion following 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 parades in five years, including the past two.

Nix is now ready to try and lead Denver out of its nearly decade-long doldrums.

He thanked the Broncos for ‘putting their beliefs in me.’

‘There’s a lot in the future that’s going to need to be done, a lot of work to be done, a lot of growing and a lot of getting better,’ Nix said. ‘But again, I just appreciate the value they had in me.’

Nix joins a quarterback room that includes newly acquired Zach Wilson, whom the Broncos traded for 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, ad Ben DiNucci.

‘Well, I know everybody has to compete, I know everybody has to go to work,’ Nix said. ‘We haven’t had any conversations thus far past draft prep. But I just can’t wait to get around the locker room, I can’t wait to get around the guys, meet all my new teammates, meet coaches and get to work.’