While dead money somewhat overshadows the contracts still on the Broncos’ 2024 payroll, the team did just give an $18MM-per-year deal to Quinn Meinerz. That gives Denver four eight-figure AAVs on its offensive front, with Mike McGlinchey, Garett Bolles and Ben Powers tied to lucrative deals.
McGlinchey and Powers, signed weeks into Sean Payton‘s HC tenure, are respectively on deals that run through 2026 and 2027. This places Bolles in an uncertain position, as his extension — authorized during John Elway‘s final year as GM — expires after this season. Denver did not entertain trading its left tackle this offseason, but the team’s expenses elsewhere up front open the door to a lower-cost LT being in place come 2025.
Bolles, who is 32 despite being a 2017 first-rounder, continues to aim for another extension that keeps him in Denver for the rest of his career. The Utah alum has been lobbying for a new deal for an extended stretch now. A new deal would create more cap space for the Broncos this year, but it is unclear if they want Bolles around on another big-ticket accord.
“I love this city; I love this organization. I want to play my whole career here,” Bolles said, via 9News’ Mike Klis. “The front office knows that. They know I want to be a Bronco for life. My family’s here, established here. We love it here. We don’t want to go anywhere else. My job is just to play good football. The ball is in their court. I just got to do my job and the rest will take care of itself.”
Bolles is coming off a quality campaign, ranking 13th among tackles in pass block win rate and slotting 19th among all tackles in the view of Pro Football Focus. Despite an early-career issue with penalties, Bolles has never finished a season outside the top 30 in PFF’s tackle rankings. He could set himself up for an interesting free agency run in 2025, having only missed significant time due to injury in one season (2022). Bolles started all 17 Broncos games last season.
Bolles surpassed Ryan Clady in terms of games played by a Broncos left tackle last season, and although other Denver blockers have started for the team beyond Year 7, Bolles (99 career starts) would be the only post-merger option to line up as the Broncos’ primary left tackle in eight consecutive seasons.
One player whom the Broncos clearly do have in their long-term plans, Patrick Surtain is now extension-eligible. GM George Paton has said the team wants its top player in the fold beyond his rookie contract, and Surtain (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) confirmed the organization has expressed as much. Surtain, 24, has not set a hard deadline in terms of when he wants an extension, but the Broncos — after making the quick decision to exercise the All-Pro cornerback’s fifth-year option — have him signed for two more seasons.
Surtain was not as dominant last season as he was in 2022, when his play helped a dysfunctional Broncos squad stay afloat on defense. Surtain said Friday he views himself as the NFL’s top cornerback; a recent ESPN poll among anonymous executives agreed, despite the 2021 first-rounder not repeating his All-Pro 2022 showing last season.
Surtain and Sauce Gardner figure to move cornerback salaries well north of their present ceiling (Jaire Alexander‘s $21MM AAV). With Surtain entering the league a year earlier, he figures to be the player to help bridge the gap between corners and wide receivers. The market booms of 2018, 2022 and 2024 have created a staggering gulf between the top WR contract (Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM-per-year pact) and the CB ceiling.
As corners have been left behind, the Broncos’ negotiations with Surtain could become tricky. The team declined trade offers for the standout cover man at last year’s deadline, and Payton admitted he led a smokescreen effort — one that included Surtain’s name as a trade chip — connected to a quarterback-driven trade-up in April. When the Broncos enter substantive talks with Surtain, it should be considered likely he will want to become the position’s highest-paid player by a notable margin.