Despite training camp being in full swing, the Denver Broncos are staying busy on the player personnel front. Just days after wide receiver Courtland Sutton agreed to a massive contract extension, a teammate is inking a four-year pact of his own.
According to an August 2 report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, it’s defensive lineman Zach Allen‘s turn now.
“Another deal in Denver: Broncos are signing All-Pro DL Zach Allen to a four-year, $102 million deal that includes $69.5 million guaranteed, per ESPN sources,” Schefter’s post began. “Allen was entering the last year of his deal, but no longer.”
Zach Allen Earns Huge Contract Extension From Broncos
It’s a well-earned extension for Allen. Earlier in the summer, speculation was that the 2024 second-team All-Pro was “in a good position to cash in” on a new deal. Even ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, a colleague of Schefter’s, urged the organization to reach a long-term resolution before the 2025-26 season.
Under his previous deal, which was set to expire after this year, Allen accounted for $19.8M against the Broncos’ salary cap. That included a $12.7M base salary, a $6.6M prorated signing bonus and a per-game roster bonus amount summing to $510,000. Now, his $25.5M annual salary ranks highly on the interior defensive line board. Allen is ahead of high-profile players like Quinnen Williams and Jeffery Simmons but behind Milton Williams and Chris Jones. His guarantees trail that of Jones and Nnamdi Madubuike.
Allen, a former third-round pick back in 2019, deserves the deal. After steadily progressing in his first year with the Broncos, he broke out in 2024-25. Playing 16 regular-season games, he recorded 61 tackles (15 for loss) with 8.5 sacks and a safety. That placed him 14th in Defensive Player of the Year voting, also earning him the aforementioned All-Pro nod.
Advanced tracking also painted a good picture of Allen’s most recent season. According to Pro Football Focus, he led all interior defensive linemen in pressures with 75. Jones was in second place with 74. The outlet graded Allen 26th out of 219 players in pass rush grade, also slotting him in at 62nd in overall grade.
Just over two weeks before his 30th birthday, Allen cashes out with the Broncos.
Denver Defense Eyeing Another Excellent Performance in 2025-26
In year No. 3 of the Sean Payton era, Vance Joseph is back as defensive coordinator. A season ago, the defense ranked third in scoring during the regular season and seventh in yards allowed. Not only did that keep opposing offenses off the field, but it allowed then-rookie quarterback Bo Nix to help lead the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16. Denver lost in the opening round but left many fans inspired for the future.
It’s a tall task for Allen and Co. to bolster a defense that was the NFL’s best in EPA/play surrendered last season, per SumerSports. That includes a league-leading success rate and EPA/pass mark, too. Thanks to pressure from Allen and Nik Bonitto up front, the floor was set. The secondary, headlined by superstar cornerback Pat Surtain II, provided lockdown coverage on the back end.
Coming off a 10-win season, the pressure is on for the Broncos to repeat at worst. Luckily, their strength of schedule is right in the middle of the pack. Should they take care of business within the division, there’s an outside chance Denver could challenge the Kansas City Chiefs to potentially snap their streak of AFC West titles.
That effort starts with the defense and players like Allen. Now, he’ll have a bit more incentive to live up to the hype.
