Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has little patience for careless sports TV analysis, especially from former NFL players who should know what goes into evaluating a quarterback.

So when former offensive lineman-turned-TV analyst Geoff Schwartz mischaracterized Bo Nix on national television this week, Payton responded directly.

Schwartz appeared Wednesday on “First Things First” as the panel debated whether Nix was primed for a major second-year jump or likely to level off. Schwartz argued Nix was still essentially the same quarterback he had been in college.

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“I do think he just is what he is at this point. He looks like the same quarterback he was in college… He’s consistent. He’s not gonna make mistakes. But he’s not gonna push the ball down the field all that often.”

The clip quickly drew a Community Note correcting Schwartz’s claim:

Nix has thrown the most touchdown passes of 20-plus air yards in the NFL since the start of the 2024 season, with 19 including the postseason …

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Bo Nix at Empower Field at Mile High in Colorado. (Isaiah J. Downing/Imagn Images)

That makes Schwartz’s assessment difficult to defend. Nix may not be a finished product, and questions about his long-term ceiling are fair. But claiming he does not push the ball downfield ignores how Denver has used him.

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Payton caught Schwartz’s take and brutally offered his own assessment.

“Always easy to tell who works at it and who doesn’t,” Payton said, responding to Schwartz.

Payton quoted the post and went straight at the work behind Schwartz’s take.

Former players are hired to provide perspective beyond standard debate-show talking points. That is why Schwartz’s claim stood out. Nix’s deep-ball production is not an obscure or cherry-picked statistic. It directly contradicts the premise of Schwartz’s take.

Schwartz may believe Nix has limitations as a passer. That is a fair discussion. But presenting him as a limited quarterback who rarely attacks downfield is not supported by the numbers.

Schwartz got sacked, plain and simple.

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