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The Denver Broncos fell one game short of a Super Bowl appearance during the 2025 NFL season, 10 years after their win in Super Bowl 50. Their leading man, Bo Nix, suffered a season ankle injury within the final two plays of the AFC Divisional Game against the Buffalo Bills.

Minutes after the game concluded, word spread that Nix fractured his ankle quick, and fans were devastated. The Broncos had clinched the no. 1 seed in the AFC, supported by a top 5 defense, and a young quarterback who finally found his footing.

Shortly after watching his team lose in the AFC Championship game, Nix received ankle surgery from Dr. Norman E. Waldrop III, a renowned foot and ankle specialist at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center.

While several months into recovery, Nix’s return timeline is still slightly unknown. However, former Super Bowl 50 champion and Broncos legend, Peyton Manning, shared inside information about Nix’s recovery.

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Peyton Manning Says Bo Nix ‘Looks Good’ Following Recovery From An Ankle Injury

During the Denver Broncos “Night of Champions,” honoring the players from Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning reveals that he has seen Bo Nix recently.

The two-time Super Bowl champion shares that Nix “looked good,” during their encounter at the Masters.

“I saw [Nix] down at the Masters last week,” Manning said. “He looked good, sounds good, sounds upbeat, looking forward to getting started.”

A reporter asks Manning about watching Nix go through the emotional and physical turmoil between the last two games of the Broncos playoff run, he explains, “That’s hard for anybody to answer except Bo. I know it was a rollercoaster of emotions… I think that’s only one he can speak to, because to play so well in that game and beat the Buffalo Bills, and then to find out you’re not going to be playing the next week, I can’t speak for him. I know he was disappointed.”

“He’s a competitive guy,” Manning added. “He’s a team guy, he wants to be out there. His teammates are out there for him. He wants to answer the bell for them [that] Sunday. So I think that’s the hardest part, but that’ll push him even harder and make him even hungrier this year.”

Nix is expected to return during the Broncos’ 2026 training camp.

Manning also discusses the future of the Broncos in the wake of the NFL Draft and 2026 season, crediting head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton’s ability to draft “unselfish” guys and find ways to win.

“I think this team has it figured out,” Manning said. “Sean [Payton] knows what they need to do. I think they’ve also got a bunch of unselfish guys, who all kind of look at themselves in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, what can I do to get better this offseason to help the team?’ I think it’s pretty unique from that standpoint. And it’s not by accident. Sean and George [Paton] have drafted and signed guys that are unselfish, that are team-oriented. That’s the way you’ve got to have it to win.”

More Broncos on Heavy: Who Is The Denver Broncos’ Trade Bait During 2026 NFL Draft?

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Bo Nix’s Return Timeline Following Surgery

While neither Bo Nix or members of the Denver Broncos organization have given a specific date for Nix’s return, insider Jordan Schultz reported Nix is ahead of schedule in terms of recovery.

“Broncos QB Bo Nix is a full go for the team’s offseason program with zero limitations,” Schultz wrote in his tweet. “He is fully recovered from ankle surgery. He’s actually further along than he typically is in his offseason conditioning program, per sources,” Schultz reported.

This is great news for Broncos country. It seemed as if his ankle injury could have kept him down for a lot longer than expected.

Although it may seem far away, the season is right around the corner. Bo Nix and the Broncos have high expectations heading into 2026, and expect to be a Super Bowl caliber team yet again.