The Denver Broncos led the league last season with 63 sacks, nine more than the second-place Baltimore Ravens. Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is responsible for 21.42 percent of that total after finishing with a team-leading 13.5 sacks. That production is a fantastic return from a player with a $1,232,445 base salary and a $1,582,334 cap hit, per Spotrac.
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However, the Broncos might not enjoy Bonitto’s peak years if they don’t sign him to an extension beyond 2025. The former Oklahoma standout will be playing under the final season of his four-year, $5.8 million rookie-scale contract and could become a free agent without a new deal in place because, as a second-round pick, Bonitto isn’t eligible for a fifth-year option.
For former Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce, re-signing Bonitto must be a no-brainer, even if it entails a lucrative amount. As the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson wrote, the DE who played nine seasons in Denver said, “If I ran an NFL team, when a guy like that happens, you sign him right now because the price is just going to go up. What are you waiting for? Him to get 17 sacks?”
Tomasson added, “A source said Bonitto is seeking more than $20 million per season. In the meantime, he reported for the April 21 start of offseason drills and is waiting to see how the process unfolds.”
History is on Nik Bonitto’s side as he became only the eighth player in Broncos history to officially register at least 13 sacks in a season. Likewise, he had more sacks last year than in his first two seasons (9.5). Bonitto’s combined tackles (48) and quarterback hits (24) surpassed his 2022 and 2023 totals (44 and 23, respectively).
Broncos Ring of Fame Member Argues Team Can Easily Sign Nik Bonitto
Karl Mecklenburg has the third-most sacks in Broncos history with 79. Conversely, Bonitto is 56 sacks away from tying Mecklenburg’s total. The four-time First-Team All-Pro member believes the Broncos shouldn’t have any problem giving Bonitto’s contract demands because they will have significant cap space after 2025.
Mecklenburg shared with Tomasson, “They’re finally going to be out from under Russell Wilson next year. They’re going to have some money to spend.” Wilson’s release from a five-year, $242.5 million contract extension left Denver with an $85 million dead cap, the largest in NFL history. However, the Broncos designated the Super Bowl-winning quarterback as a post-June 1 release, allowing them to distribute that amount over two seasons.
The linebacker who played his entire 12-season career with the Broncos believes his fellow edge rusher gets the job done. Mecklenburg added, “He finishes really well. That’s the one thing that’s hard to do. There’s a lot of guys who can kind of get back there, but to actually come through with the sack is a whole other step.”
Super Bowl-Winning Edge Rusher Compares Bonitto to Two All-Pro Linebackers
As Nik Bonitto’s star continues to shine, former Broncos edge rusher DeMarcus Ware is already comparing him to two elite defenders.
The Super Bowl 50 winner shared with Kay Adams in the May 7 episode of ‘Up & Adams,’ “He (Bonitto) reminded me of a combination of Shaq Barrett and Von Miller. Shaq Barrett is more of a solid block but has the quickness of Von. …When you have a combination of power and speed, he has both of those, that’s why he can repeat it.”
That’s a lofty company because Barrett holds the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ franchise record of 19.5 sacks in a single season. Meanwhile, Miller has a career-high of 18.5 sacks in a season and reached double-digit sacks in seven seasons with the Broncos.
If Bonitto remains with Denver, Miller’s 110.5 sacks with the Broncos will be the gold standard. However, before reaching that mark, Bonitto must surpass second-place Simon Fletcher’s 97.5 sacks with Denver.
