One of the NFL's brightest, young pass rushers is getting handsomely rewarded.
The Denver Broncos and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto have agreed to terms on a four-year extension worth up to $120 million with $70 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday. Bonitto's agency later announced the deal, which includes a $106 million base.
At $26.5 million per year, Bonitto now ranks 10th among edge rushers in average annual value.
Bonitto, 25, was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, but the Broncos weren't about to let him get within the area code of the open market, as they've locked up the 2024 Pro Bowler after a career year.
A full-time starter for the first time last season, Bonitto produced a career-best 13.5 sacks and 48 tackles in 2024, helping the Broncos return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.
Buoyed by a defense that was No. 3 in the NFL in points allowed last season, the Broncos are trending upward heading into 2025 and Bonitto is a major reason why.
The 2022 NFL Draft second-round selection out of Oklahoma has 23 sacks and 92 tackles over three seasons (47 games; 20 starts), but the 2024 season was a true breakout campaign, one that landed him all-star accolades and Thursday's deal.
His 13.5 sacks were third in the NFL and were accompanied by 24 QB hits (tied for seventh in the NFL), 16 tackles for loss (tied for ninth) and a 71-yard pick-six against the Indianapolis Colts -- the first of his career.
Bonitto is hardly a one-man band on the Broncos' new-age Orange Crush defense. After all, Denver had a league-best six players with at least five sacks and has doled out extensions to cornerback Patrick Surtain II and pass rushers Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen over the last year and change. However, Bonitto is clearly a star defender on the rise who's galvanized the Broncos pass rush. With the pass rusher due $5.3 million in base salary in 2025, the Broncos made sure to take care of him for the long haul ahead of a pivotal season for the franchise.
Denver and Bonitto, with a new deal in his back pocket, open up the season Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
