The Denver Broncos season wrapped up on Sunday with a frustrating loss to AFC powerhouse the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL Playoffs, and now that the team has had a taste of the post-season again the focus is entirely set on getting back there in 2025.
Denver Broncos eager to build on positive foundation of 2024
The dreaded Monday locker room cleanout after the season ends is always one that 31 NFL teams experience. Only one team gets to experience a fun cleanout after winning the Super Bowl, and it’s been nine years since the Broncos have been able to do that.
Monday afternoon was the cleanout period for the 2024 Denver Broncos, and while the season’s end was disappointing, the future is bright, and the locker room expressed an eagerness to get back to work.
The Broncos’ mantra for the NFL Playoffs was ‘The Climb Continues’ and their mantra for 2025 will be highlighted as ‘The Climb Back.’
“Unfortunately and fortunately, I’ve played on a lot of teams that’s seasons have ended,” Bo Nix said. “You know all good things come to an end. This has been a good run. [We] started where we were, and to be where we are now, play an extra week of football, an opportunity to play in the playoffs, it’s exciting and it’s an exciting time to be in Denver right now. [I] love this team [and] will always appreciate what they did for me as a rookie coming in and learning the NFL. It was an honor to play with those guys each week. As I also understand, teams change. Sometimes you don’t have the same team the next year. We have great guys in the locker room. [I] really enjoyed being around them. It’s been a great rookie year.”
Since being on the beat, this has been one of the closest locker rooms I’ve had the chance to get to know and see grow. That’s one thing that stands out to me, and the message is the same from the locker room.
“To put it simply, I feel like we created a brotherhood here,” Jonathon Cooper said. “Everyone gets along. This is probably the closest locker room I’ve been in since I’ve been here. Everyone loves each other, and plays hard for each other and we work really hard. We’re always trying to be the best that we can be. You put all of those things together, you’re going to get good results. It’s a great group of guys.”
ICYMI: Broncos sign 13 players to future/reserve contracts.
Now, head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton will be focused on adding to the roster, revamping different personnel areas, and make the roster strong through NFL Free Agency and the NFL Draft, which are creeping up quick than most of us realize.
Bo Nix played this season with fracture in back
Bo Nix put together an incredible season for the Denver Broncos and showcased growth at a high rate. He also demonstrate grit and extreme toughness, as it was revealed on Monday that he had played this season with three transverse process fractures in his back.
“It was a long 18-, 19-week season,” Nix said. “Fortunately, God was good to me this year. He allowed me to stay upright. I was healthy. I got to play each and every game. Obviously we all play with some bruises and some cuts and scrapes. The Vegas week I had a little transverse process fracture in my back. That week [I] got treatment and made it through to that week. Monday Night Football was a stretch where we were all kind of banged up. I wasn’t going to miss the first Monday night game. I got treatment on it, and then we were fortunate to have an off week that next week. It kind of went away after that. It was annoying, but we all play with annoying.”
It all started in the Broncos road win against the Las Vegas Raiders, where he came up grimacing. He received treatment and ended up practicing and playing through it over the course of their four-game win streak. His toughness is something that will never be questioned, and considering how well he still moved while dealing with the injury is impressive.
Now, the Broncos franchise quarterback will have the chance to rest up and heal further as the offseason begins before he gets back into the routine of training and working out for the 2025 season.
Broncos special teams assistant interviews for 49ers job
The Denver Broncos special teams unit came up big for them a handful of times this season, and one of their top young coaching assistants is getting looks for coordinator jobs around the NFL.
On Monday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers interviewed special teams assistant Chris Banjo for their special teams coordinator job, as first reported by NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo.
Banjo had just come off of a 10-year playing career that ended with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He joined Payton’s staff when he became the head coach and quickly became a coach that players gravitated toward. His knowledge and impact on Denver’s special teams, combined with his working with Mike Westhoff and Ben Kotwica, have put him in a position to become a coordinator.
His interview with the 49ers is the first one he’s had, and if he gets the job, it will be an impressive fast track for him and would be a big loss for the Broncos coaching staff.
