During his first season as quarterback of our local NFL team, Bo Nix won back as many hearts in Broncos Country as Russell Wilson alienated in two years.

Nix is one of us in a way Wilson never understood.

Bo knows the thrill of sharing the Red Rocks stage with Brad Paisley, throwing out the first pitch at Coors Field and watching the magic of Nikola Jokic from courtside in Ball Arena.

He ended the Broncos’ long playoff drought and beat the hated Kansas City Chiefs.

But as Nix stepped onto the field Thursday for spring practice, so in command of the playbook from cover to cover that he now feels confident coaching up his teammates, he declared that the standard of football excellence has again been raised a mile high, precisely where it belongs in Broncos Country.

Whether on the field or in the locker room, when Nix and fellow Denver players talk, “We tell each other: ‘You’re still a nobody. You haven’t done anything yet.’”

The new Broncos ownership expects nothing less than division championships and deep playoff runs.

“We’ve got a lot to prove,” said Nix, who has no intention of letting the Broncos be satisfied until they return to the Super Bowl.

While there are no guarantees that Nix will play at a Pro Bowl level during his sophomore season in the NFL or that Denver will match and surpass the 10 regular-season victories that shocked the league in 2024, the young quarterback seems intent on building something as magnificent in Colorado as the massive new training facility under construction at Dove Valley.

While Wilson sometimes gave the impression he was football’s gift to Denver, Nix tries to prove he’s worthy of being embraced by the city.

“This is where I live,” Nix said. “So I’ve got to find a way to embrace it and enjoy (Denver), but not take it for granted.”

That’s why, at the relatively tender age of 25, Nix is already the straw that stirs the fizz in a tall, cool glass of Orange Crush.

“Look at what (Nix) is capable of doing … it’s exciting. No disrespect to Brock Purdy,” said safety Talanoa Hufanga, who left the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent in March to take a three-year, $45-million contract with the Broncos.

While Denver has upgraded the talent on its roster in significant ways since losing 31-7 to Buffalo in the playoffs back in January, we all know that the NFL is ruled by quarterbacks.

So how soon the Broncos can again be recognized and respected as legitimate championship contenders depends largely on Nix raising his game to Pro Bowl, if not elite, status.

During his opening four starts as Denver’s quarterback a year ago, Nix looked like a rookie, throwing for one touchdown, four interceptions and an average of 165 yards per game.

For the remainder of the regular season, he looked to be very worthy of dueling with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Hebert in the AFC West, throwing for 28 touchdowns, eight interceptions and 240 yards per game.

“We don’t use that term ‘pick up where we left off,’,” said coach Sean Payton.

After watching Nix’s comfort level while operating the Broncos offense on a cloudy spring day of OTAs, however, the coach was impressed by how much Bo has grown.

OK, we all know the chart growth of a young NFL quarterback is seldom a straight line upward to stardom.

But in the early stages of the Bo Era in Broncos Country, I know this:

The feeling that anything and everything is possible for this team hasn’t been anywhere near this strong since Peyton Manning hung up his No. 18 Denver jersey for the final time to sing the Nationwide Insurance jingle in commercials with Paisley.

As his own man trying to make a name for himself in the NFL, Nix is not Manning.

But there’s a new sheriff in Broncos Country.