Broncos Interested In Nik Bonitto Extension

At this time last year, George Paton expressed interest in a Patrick Surtain extension. Although it took several months, the Broncos finalized a contract with their top player. They hammered out a few more extensions in the process, including one for soon-to-be first-team All-Pro Quinn Meinerz.

The Broncos paid their right guard before his true breakthrough; they will not have that advantage with Nik Bonitto, who turned the corner as a pass rusher before becoming extension-eligible. The 2022 second-round pick stormed to a second-team All-Pro honor, registering 13.5 sacks — the Broncos’ most since Von Miller‘s 2018 season — and scoring two defensive touchdowns. As we discussed in December, Bonitto’s extension price spiked after his 2024 performance.

As could be expected, the Broncos are interested in keeping their top edge rusher around beyond his 2025 contract year. Paton confirmed (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) the team wants to keep him around long term, but no talks have begun yet. The Oklahoma product has only been eligible for a new deal for a week. The Broncos will hold exclusive negotiating rights with Bonitto until March 2026.

Bonitto will be an interesting extension candidate, as the Broncos paid their other OLB starter — former seventh-round pick Jonathon Cooper — on a team-friendly deal that checked in at less than $14MM per year. In addition to the Surtain and Meinerz accords, Denver also re-upped left tackle Garett Bolles in what became a busy year for the franchise on the extension front.

The team is not free of the Russell Wilson dead money; $30MM-plus awaits on this year’s payroll, interfering with the advantage gained from Bo Nix‘s rookie contract. But a Bonitto deal would begin its extension years when the Wilson contract is off the books. Nix is tied to rookie terms through at least 2026, giving the Broncos a bit of a window to have another high-end defender payment on their cap sheet.

As for the 2025 offseason, the team is projected to carry more than $52MM in cap space. While the Broncos have some need to address — at the skill positions, linebacker and perhaps a replacement for free agent D-tackle D.J. Jones — the Bonitto matter will be important.

Denver would have a 2026 franchise tag at its disposal if Bonitto talks do not progress to the sides’ liking. Although that would be a pricey cap hold next year, the second-rounder (obtained via the Rams selection in the Miller trade) may have shown himself to be too valuable to lose in free agency. The Broncos will have some time on this front, as the team took care of several extension priorities — save for perhaps Courtland Sutton, who did lobby for a raise last year ahead of a 1,000-yard season, and Zach Allen — in 2024.