Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz agreed to a four-year, $80 million extension on Tuesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport first reported
The deal, which includes $45 million in guarantees and pays him $20 million annually, puts him among the top five highest-paid at his position.
But he may have never inked that deal if it weren't for Philadelphia Eagles' guard Landon Dickerson.
In fact, he may have never even made it to the NFL if it weren't for Dickerson. That's because, as Rapoport pointed out, Meinerz only received a Senior Bowl invitation during the 2021 pre-draft process because Dickerson was injured during the national title game that year.
Meinerz, who played college football at a small Division III school called Wisconsin–Whitewater, basically turned wine into water during his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to impress scouts at the Reese's Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
He didn't go unnoticed as he dominated his one-on-one matchups against former first and second-round picks in Mobile. His name landed on almost, if not all, teams' draft boards, ultimately falling to the Denver Browns in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
And he has been far from a disappointment ever since.
Meinerz started all 17 games last season at right guard, allowing just two sacks. His overall impressive efforts garnered an 83.7 grade from Pro Football Focus. Only Atlanta Falcons' Chris Lindstrom (87.7) and Los Angeles Rams' Kevin Dotson (84.4) received better grades.
Many would agree that Meinerz was snubbed from last year's Pro Bowl. Even he would say he deserved the nod, but he settled for the recognition.
“I think I played well enough to make the starting lineup, but I didn’t,’’ Meinerz said, via The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson. “And at the end of the day, I don’t play this game for individual awards and it’s still cool to be on the map.”
The Broncos have yet to name a starting quarterback with a battle kicking off between rookie Bo Nix, Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham at next week's training camp. But no matter who wins the job, they'll be able to count on Meinerz's exceptional blocking abilities.
