The Denver Broncos will face a critical decision when the 2024 campaign ends.
What they do could significantly impact Bo Nix’s development which should be the priority for the organization going forward. The Broncos must decide on left tackle Garett Bolles’ future. His four-year, $68 million contract expires at the end of the season.
The Broncos selected Bolles, 32, with the No. 20 overall pick of the 2017 draft. Bolles is the Broncos longest-tenured player and The Denver Post’s Troy Renck believes he should remain so.
“Bolles will be a free agent at season’s end, his eighth with the Broncos,” Renck wrote on November 15. “He faces an uncertain future in Denver. He shouldn’t. The Broncos cannot afford to lose him.
“Bolles plays a premium position and continues to perform at a high level. This cannot be easily dismissed.”
Bolles said during the offseason program that he was feeling good physically.
Letting Bolles hit the open market could be a significant risk for the Broncos.
“Bolles is expected to play out the season and then decide whether to stay in Denver on a new deal or look elsewhere,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on November 13. “An ideal time to reach an extension was over the past summer, but nothing materialized. Considering the scarcity of quality tackles leaguewide, Bolles will have several suitors. But he has expressed a desire to play for the Broncos for the rest of his career, which could help facilitate a deal.”
Renck set a baseline expectation for what a new deal could look like while doubling down on Bolles being the best option as the Broncos continue building around Nix.
“Bolles still has the goods. But do the Broncos think he is good enough to keep? It would likely require a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $66 million. That is the going rate for a top-10 tackle. And that is where Bolles falls by any objective measure,” Renck wrote.
“Would Denver really gamble with Nix’s development by going with a younger, cheaper player to protect his blindside? It is not advisable, but possible.”
Garett Bolles Wants to Retire With Broncos
GettyGarett Bolles (72) of the Denver Broncos reacts against the New York Jets.
Bolles made it clear what his preferred path is. He also said that his future in Denver ultimately lies with Broncos head coach Sean Payton, general manager George Paton, etc.
“I would love to finish here. The ball is not in my court. It’s in the front office’s court, Coach Payton and (offensive line) coach (Zach) Strief’s court. My job is to play good football day in and day out. I am not worried about what’s happening. They know I want to be here and finish my career here as a Denver Bronco,” Bolles told Renck.
“I have given this organization everything I have. We have seven more regular-season games, and it starts with Chapter 1 this week, and I am going to do everything I can to help our team win. They know where the ball’s at. It’s up to them on what they want to do with it.”
Moreover, Bolles is a leader in the locker room. He showed that in his defense of teammate Alex Forsyth, who was the scapegoat of the Broncos’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.
Bolles has started all 109 of his career games played.
After battling injuries for three seasons from 2020 through 2022, Bolles logged a full slate of games for the fourth time in his career in 2023.
Garett Bolles Still Playing at High Level
GettyGarett Bolles #72 of the Denver Broncos in action against the New Orleans Saints.
Bringing Bolles back would not just be about sentimentality or getting good years from an aging player. He has the fifth-best pass-blocking grade in the NFL through Thursday Night Football in Week 11, per Pro Football Focus.
“Bolles’ pass block win rate of 93.2% ranks seventh among tackles this season, and his tape is solid,” ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote in the lead-in to Fowler’s intel. “A long and linear mover with heavy hands to close down the edge in pass protection, Bolles could be targeted as a veteran bridge starter for a contending team in need of a 2025 upgrade.”
SB Nation’s Doug Farrar noted Bolles’ up-and-down career.
Farrar named the Bolles to his “All-Underrated Team” for the first half of the season. He also noted the veteran’s impeccable timing.
“So far, 2024 has been one of those top-shelf seasons. Bolles has allowed one sack, one quarterback hit, and 11 quarterback hurries in 356 pass-blocking snaps. That’s especially impressive given that Bolles is blocking for a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix who is still learning the importance of not breaking the pocket early and getting himself in trouble,” Farrar wrote on November 7.
“Bolles is playing in the final year of the four-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2020, and he’s turned it up at the perfect time for the contract-year phenomenon to work decidedly in his favor.”
Renck compared Bolles’ contractual situation to former Broncos star and 2-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons, now of the Atlanta Falcons. He said Bolles’ performance and position are keys.
“Bolles is different,” Renck wrote. “He has earned another contract.”
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