The Denver Broncos have now officially locked up their elite EDGE rusher duo after their major extension for Nik Bonitto.
The team has gotten to work over the past couple of offseasons rewarding their key players with massive extensions. Overall, we've seen a slew of team-friendly deals that both reward the player and put the team in a solid financial position.
With Nik Bonitto's deal now done, Denver has gotten a deal done with him and Jonathon Cooper, and one of the best EDGE duos in the NFL are now not only locked up, but are not making nearly as much as you think.
Bonitto and Cooper combine to make just $40 million per year
Below are the contracts that both Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper have gotten from the Denver Broncos:
Bonitto: 4 years, $106 million ($26.5m per year)
Cooper: 4 years, $54 million ($13.5m per year)
For context here, three EDGE rushers in the NFL make at least $40 million per year: Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, and TJ Watt.
Parsons is at $46.5 million per year, Garrett is at $41 million per year, and Watt is at $40 million per year. Moreover, Jonathon Cooper is still 27 years old, and Nik Bonitto is just 25 years old, so this team has invested in young players as well, which is even more amazing.
In 2024, Bonitto and Cooper combined for 24 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, and 44 QB hits, which is wild. Given how important the EDGE rusher positions is in the NFL, Denver getting their top duo for this combined price is a work of art from the team's front office.
Now that the dust has settled, it's probably a great thing that the Broncos pull off a major trade for Micah Parsons or even Trey Hendrickson, as they are building something special and are getting some wildly team-friendly value out of it as well.