ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For some NFL players, football never really ends.
When former Broncos' safety Nick Ferguson decided to retire in 2009 after a 10-year career in the league, he planned to move on from the game. However, it didn't take long for him to realize that he didn't want to go very far.
"I love football, but I just moved away from it," Ferguson told DenverBroncos.com this week. "But the whole thing about it is — if you love this game and you're passionate about it, you can't really move away. … Once you play this game, it's hard to get it out of your system."
This mindset brought Ferguson back to the league and — eventually — back to Denver. Selected as the Broncos' 2024 Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellow, Ferguson spent a week during this year's training camp working with the Broncos' personnel staff and gaining behind-the-scenes perspective on an aspect of the game with which he was previously unfamiliar.
"There's a lot that goes into it that I didn't know originally," Ferguson said. "There's a lot of data. You're constantly reviewing information and you're constantly going over players and how they fit into the team. It's been awesome."
Although work of this nature has presented a new challenge for Ferguson, he's no stranger to working in football. Following his retirement, Ferguson participated in coaching internships with the Texans, Seahawks, Broncos and 49ers before serving as an assistant coach for the 49ers in 2018. His love for the game also gave way to stints as a radio host, broadcaster and sports analyst.
Having now gained exposure to the personnel side of an NFL organization, Ferguson is confident that the information he has acquired throughout his fellowship will allow him to find success in his next role. As he looks to progress in his career, he credits Broncos General Manager George Paton and the Broncos front office with allowing him to embrace this key part of his journey.
"Not too many people and coaches have an opportunity to participate in the program," Ferguson said. "So, I'm really thankful I was able to do it and that George and his staff selected me to participate, because I know how important this program is."
While Ferguson noted that he has "learned a lot in a short period of time," he says that the most valuable part of the experience has been the relationships he built.
"No matter what you do, it's built on relationships and network," he said. "There's a lot of individuals in this building that did not know me. They may have known me as a player, they may not have. So, for me, it's about being able to get in front of them and just show that I'm not just a former player, but [that] I had to grind to have a 10-year career and I'm willing to do the same thing [now]."
As an undrafted player, Ferguson did not shy away from the challenge of working his way up to find success. From 2003-07, Ferguson started 44 games for the Broncos and recorded six interceptions. He was also a member of the 2005 Broncos team that hosted the AFC Championship Game. While no part of his journey was easy, he believes that the work ethic and resilience he developed as a player has allowed him to find success as he now embraces behind-the-scenes roles.
"I was an undrafted player that played 10 years, which is kind of unheard of," he said. "So, the grinding and the working part of it, I've grown used to it. I'm just applying everything that I learned to something different."
This mindset, along with his love for the game, will continue to fuel Ferguson in his next role and beyond.
"Coming out here, [with] fresh cut grass, you can't help but feel the nostalgia," he said. "[You] just close your eyes and remember when you were out here on this field."
