If you listen closely, you might be able to hear the growing chorus calling for the Denver Broncos to sign NFL All-Pro edge rusher Nik Bonitto to a a long-term contract extension. They’re still marching toward town, but they’re noisy.
That’s understandable. Bonitto showed he was one of the NFL’s dominant defensive players in 2024. He did so in his first season as a full-time starter with 48 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 16 TFL, 21 QB hits, 4 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles and 2 defensive touchdowns on an interception return and a fumble return.
That the Broncos made the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season only underlined his status as one of the NFL’s great young talents moving forward. Entering his fourth season in 2025, Bonitto is now eligible for a new deal that Spotrac has projected at a 4-year, $102 million contract extension.
Bonitto’s great season in 2024 wasn’t necessarily a one off, either. He had 8.0 sacks in 2023 while starting just 4 games and was already being talked about as a possible breakout star ahead of the season.
Still … it’s $102 million. With that in mind it might require Bonitto, even for all his greatness, to wait to get paid. While the Broncos can afford another massive contract on the defensive side of the ball in the near future, there’s no need to rush things.
Bonitto is, after all, still under contract for another season and could eventually become a player the Broncos might want to franchise tag after 2025. Nothing in the process needs to be sped up at this point.
Bonitto Earned Big Raise for 2025 Season With Play
Bonitto’s play has already earned him a big bump in pay for 2025. It’s nothing compared to what he’d get in an extension, but a significant raise nonetheless after he was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2024.
“(Pro Bowl) qualifies Bonitto for a Level Three Proven Performance Escalator raise in 2025,” A to Z Sports’ Evan Winter wrote on January 2. “Level Three is reserved for former draft picks taken in Rounds 2-7 that make a Pro Bowl in one of their first three years. The Pro Bowl selection has to be an original ballot selection, which Bonitto is … As a result, Bonitto will see his base salary jump from $1,496,166 to the projected amount of $5,217,000 in 2025.”
Bonitto was a second round pick (No. 64 overall) by the Broncos in the 2022 NFL draft out of Oklahoma and signed a 4-year, $5.8 million rookie contract.
How Long Broncos Can Make Bonitto Wait
Just how long the Broncos need to make Bonitto wait is the game still to be played between player, agent and front office executives.
The Broncos waited to give cornerback and 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II his massive, 4-year, $96 million contract extension until just a few days before the regular season, signing him on September 4.
That strategy might not work in this case.
“(Bonitto) posted 13.5 sacks and 48 pressures, and he’s now extension-eligible,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine wrote on February 3. “There’s a case to be made that he should show he’s worth an extension with his play in 2025, but with Micah Parsons potentially resetting the market this offseason, it would be wise to get the deal done now.”
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