Denver Broncos All-Pro pass rusher Nik Bonitto is looking to set the league on fire after an impressive 2024 campaign that saw his team clinch a playoff berth against the Buffalo Bills. Despite the loss, the team is looking to build on its successes. With Bonitto only under contract for this upcoming season, Denver is going to have to back up the Brinks truck for his inevitable extension.
With Bonitto getting his flowers and appearing in the NFL Top 100, he may have unintentionally made life a little bit more difficult for the organization hoping to lock him up to a long-term deal.
Last year, Bonitto found himself off the NFL Top 100 list last season. That wasn't going to be the case after the breakout year he had. The Broncos superstar has ascended to one of the very best at his position and finds himself ranked 38th by his peers. While it's not a DPOY or Super Bowl, Bonitto is more than thrilled with the recognition. As per tradition, the NFL released a video highlighting Bonitto's season.
The video opened with a simple question to Bonitto, "Do you have a favorite play from this year?" Wasting no time, and not to the surprise of Broncos fans, Bonitto replied, "Oh, definitely the Browns game." Continuing, "I'm just in coverage. Jameis (Winston) is in the pocket, and I can just look in his eyes; he's trying to look for somebody."
Winston appears with his retelling, "I'm scanning all the way across the field. I'm looking for one of my teammates. And I shift and find him, but I don't see dadgum Nik Bonitto behind him. This guy is playing hide-and-seek on the football field."
What followed next was one of the most explosive plays of last season in which Bonitto ran back a pick-six, which wasn't his only defensive touchdown of last year.
Bonitto added, "I seen someone in front, so I was just like, 'let me just jump it.' And, you know, I ended up making the play on the ball when he threw it, and the rest was history."
Bonitto is going to get paid
Based on his current contract, Bonitto is going to be a UFA in 2026. This upcoming season, Bonitto's base salary is sitting at a little over $5.3M with his cap hit coming in at a tick under $5.6M. The Broncos are getting one of the best pass rushers in the entire game on a bargain bin cap hit that's surely going to rise exponentially heading into next season.
That's not to say they don't want to pay Bonitto, just a few weeks ago, the team inked a deal with defensive lineman Zach Allen for a monster four-year $102M extension that keeps him in Denver through the 2029 season.
Paton might want to keep his checkbook at the ready; he's going to need it for Bonitto.
Denver knew they had a stud in Bonitto, but now the rest of the league is forced to take notice after the pass rusher is coming off a season where he came in third across the entire NFL in sacks with 13.5. Bonitto fell behind Trey Hendrickson at 17.5 sacks and Myles Garrett, who finished with 14. The dominant season earned Bonitto second-team All-Pro honors and a trip to the Pro Bowl.
Again, just absolutely monster numbers from the pass rusher. The All-Pro LB is hoping to make a statement once again this season, which will surely follow up with a massive new contract for the budding superstar.
During the offseason, general manager George Paton spoke to the media about a potential Bonitto extension, "would love to have Nik here long term," while adding that the two sides haven't had any conversations about a new deal. By waiting and allowing Bonitto to potentially earn more money with another stellar performance, Paton and the front office are gambling and hoping it pays off.
While they're not in a rush with Bonitto locked in for this upcoming season, his cap hit is going to be massive whenever an eventual extension is reached. The team wants to get a deal done; it appears as though it's a matter of if and not when.
Who are the highest-paid edge rushers in NFL?
With talks of an extension looming, we wanted to take a look at what some of the top guys in the league are getting paid, as reported by Over The Cap. It's safe to say that if Bonitto could be in line for a generational type contract based on what his peers are getting paid.
- Pittsburgh Steelers, T.J. Watt: $41M (average per year)
- Cleveland Browns, Myles Garrett: $40M (average per year)
- Houston Texans, Danielle Hunter: $35.6M (average per year)
- Las Vegas Raiders, Maxx Crosby: $35.5M (average per year)
- San Francisco 49ers, Nick Bosa: $34M (average per year)
- Jacksonville Jaguars, Josh Hines-Allen: $28.25M (average per year)
- New York Giants, Brian Burns: $28.2M (average per year)
- Chicago Bears, Montez Sweat: $24.5M (average per year)
- Green Bay Packers, Rashan Gary: $24M (average per year)
- Minnesota Vikings, Andrew Van Ginkel: $23M (average per year)
It's safe to assume that Bonitto will fall somewhere on the list when it's his turn to cash in for his second NFL contract. He's worth every penny, and then some.
During the NFL Top 100's video, they interview a wealth of players across the league and ask them to give their take on the player in question. For Nik Bonitto, he had more than his fair share of fans.
What other players had to say about Bonitto
- Brian Asmoah II, Vikings LB: "Man, Bik Bonitto is a - He's a playmaker. And I've seen that since we were in college together. That was my roommate. The league was just waiting to see what he can do. And he has displayed everything."
- Tristen Wirfs, Bucs T: "Didn't he have two pick sixes?" Later on in the video, "His, like, first step is so quick and he covers so much ground. His ability to bend the edge was really impressive."
- Patrick Surtain II, Broncos CB: "He definitely blossomed. Putting it all together and having the year he had was pretty exceptional." Continuing, "I was happy back there. For opposing QBs, he was a game wrecker. That pressure, it made my job much easier, I can tell you that."
- Micah Parsons, Cowboys LB: "Bro, I just think his ability to do everything - his versatility, pick-sixes, 13 and a half sacks, his ability to rush and keep developing as a rusher. It was really exciting to see.
- Kwity Paye, Colts DE: "Top players in my position - I'd probably say Nik Bonitto. He's just very unpredictable with his rushes. He's a good spinner. He's just been balling out this year." Adding, "He showed the world his ability. It's just the beginning. It's just the beginning."
