The Denver Broncos are back to business as usual, and that is significant news for third-year quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix is recovering from offseason ankle surgeries (two different procedures, to be precise). He is expected to be full-go by training camp. This season is key or Nix and the Broncos, with the former No. 12 overall pick of the 2024 draft extension-eligible in 2027.
Perhaps with that at least in mind, if not driving the decision, the Broncos are staying flexible.
Bo Nix Could Benefit From Broncos’ Decision on Pat Surtain II
GettyThe Denver Broncos’ decision on Pat Surtain II looms large for Bo Nix.
The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel took an in-depth look at how the Broncos’ decision to revise All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II’s four-year, $96 million contract is part of a complex plan by general manager George Paton that could include a “mega-contract” for Nix.
Surtain received a raise worth up to $10 million, in a $5 million guarantee and an identical escalator, which Gabriel argued the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year more than deserves.
However, the mechanisms the Broncos used are where the real story lies.
“The Broncos did it because they could. They started the week more than $25 million under the salary cap, and even after giving Surtain a raise, they can easily absorb another contract if they wanted to add a veteran this summer, add at the trade deadline this fall — or both,” Gabriel wrote on June 6, noting Denver has “among the cleanest books in football. They have newfound flexibility and are putting it to use.”
While that is intriguing for potential trades, Gabriel added that “It’s complicated, it’s interesting, and it’s the way the front office has decided to attack a future that could, as soon as next summer, include a mega-contract for quarterback Bo Nix.”
Gabriel noted that Paton typically carried “$5-10 million” over from season to season. That was before the Broncos cut ties with Wilson during the 2024 offseason.
The “option bonuses” the Broncos use afford them flexibilty.
They have built one of the best rosters in the NFL. Their trip to the AFC Championship Game this past season is evidence of that. However, contracts that quarterbacks like Nix typically sign have significant impacts on teams’ roster-building strategies.
Wilson’s situation was strikingly different in the circumstances. It still had a similar hindering effect over the past two seasons as what the Broncos could face if and when they extend Nix.
Broncos Staying Flexible as Reality Sets In
GettyGeorge Paton has the Denver Broncos well-positioned moving forward.
Denver is technically operating under more cap space than how Gabriel reports Paton and the front office see it. That is due to their viewing those bonuses as being on their books this season rather than prorated over future years.
In addition to Surtain, the Broncos have used similar measures for wide receiver Courtland Sutton and offensive tackle Garett Bolles.
Both have significant triggers coming up this September.
The duo combined could count for as little as $22.4 million or as much as much as $45.6 million. It will depend on how and when the Broncos decide to handle their option bonuses. The larger the hit the Broncos take this year, the less those players will account for in future years.
In that light, every move the Broncos make will be worth monitoring as the presumably position themselves to build around Nix for what they hope is the decade-plus.
It also means that the Broncos will inevitably face difficult decisions about other good players.
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