Denver Broncos Nic Bonitto had one of his better seasons as a pro last year. He ranked third in the league in sacks with 13.5 sacks. Drafted in the 2nd round by the Broncos in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, he has quickly established himself as one of the premier pass rushers.
He is starting to gain recognition around the league by peers and pundits for his success on the field. He was ranked 22nd on Pro Football Focus’s list of top 32 edge defenders going into 2025. In a recent article by Ryan Smith he goes into detail about why Bonitto made the list:
Bonitto has steadily improved through his first three NFL seasons, boosting his PFF grade from 52.4 as a rookie in 2022 to 78.7 in 2024. He ranked third in the league with 13.5 sacks and earned the highest coverage grade among edge defenders at 92.6.
Bonitto has superstar potential
Nic always knew he could make it to the NFL because of his talent alone and he knew he would have to go through a lot of adversity to get there.
“My journey to the NFL was tough with the ups and downs. Knowing you’re going to have to go through adversity to get to where you want to go. But having people who believe in you makes it easier,” said Bonitto.
Bonitto forces early throws, collapses pockets, and disrupts timing, often dictating an entire offense game plan. Offensive coordinators have to know where he is on every snap, often assigning double-teams, chips, and extra protection just to slow him down.
He is starting to have a reputation for delivering in the clutch. Whether it’s a strip sack in the fourth quarter, a third-down pressure that kills a drive, or a relentless chase-down on a mobile quarterback, he knows how to finish games. He was counted on more this season as Bradley Chubb was lost for the season due to injury.
Bonitto contract extension
Nic has one year left on his contract as he enters into year 4. The Broncos know they will have a competitive market for Bonitto if he enters free agent. Luca Evans of the Denver Post goes into detail about what type of contract Bonitto could be looking at as he enters a contract year :
The market for outside linebackers is more straightforward, but Bonitto enters 2025 in an interesting spot: Still young at 25, coming off arguably a more productive season than any recent OLB around his age who signed an extension or free-agent deal.
The market could increase even more for Bonitto if he has another great year as he is an ascending player in this league. As long as he’s on the roster, the Broncos have a chance to beat anyone, any week. Denver will have a better defense this season as they had a top-10 defense last year.
