NFL
Patrick Surtain II breaks NFL record with new Denver Broncos contract
The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback has been rewarded with a bumper four-year contract ahead of the start of the 2024 NFL season.
The Denver Broncos have moved to tie down cornerback Patrick Surtain II to a new four-year deal on the eve of the new NFL season.
Back in April the Broncos activated a fifth-year option on Surtain’s rookie contract. The new dead, announced on Wednesday, is worth a reported $96 million with $77.5 million of that in guaranteed payments.
Surtain is now the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The 24-year-old has started in all 17 regular season games for the past two seasons with the Broncos and is rated as one of the most reliable defensive backs in the league. He has made 187 tackles over the course of his three seasons in NFL to date, enough to earn him a place in the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023.
Can the Denver Broncos make the playoffs in 2024?
Only eight years ago the Denver Broncos were toasting a third championship at Super Bowl 50. It was their second Super Bowl appearance in four years and their fifth consecutive AFC West title.
But that Super Bowl triumph was the end of an era for the Broncos, and what has followed is an eight-year run of failing to reach the playoffs. This is Broncos’ longest playoff drought since failing to make the postseason in its first 17 seasons of existence. The retirement of Peyton Manning in 2016, off the back of that Super Bowl win, was a catalyst for their recent struggles and Denver have seen 13 quarterbacks start since Manning departed.
After another disappointing season in 2023 starting QB Russell Wilson was cut, meaning they were hit with a huge $85 million dead money hit. Of that amount $53 million hits in 2024, making it tricky for the team to restock for head coach Sean Payton’s second season in charge.
Next up to fill the void left by Manning is rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Nix was named into the All-Pac 12 first team for 2023 and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in his final NCCA season. He now shoulders the weight of expectation in Denver as they look for a return to the playoffs.