Ja'Quan McMillian keeps proving why he deservers a Broncos' contract extension

The Denver Broncos definitely needed a team effort in Week 6, as the Seattle Seahawks were and are great on both sides of the ball. The main concern here was how the defense was going to look without their two best defensive backs in Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga.

All of Kris Abrams-Draine, Jahdae Barron, and even Taylor Rapp got a ton of run in Week 6, as it's now abundantly clear how deep this secondary is, but other guys like Brandon Jones and Ja'Quan McMillian were still back there doing their thing.

And as the game seemed to be slipping away in overtime, following a fourth quarter where the Broncos allowed the Seahawks to tie the game, the always-clutch McMillian once again showed up in a big moment and proved why he deserves a contract extension.

Denver Broncos' CB can't help but keep making huge plays at the right time

It's honestly baffling how often McMillian is right in the middle of a big defensive play late in a game. This was Sam Darnold's second interception of the game and set the Broncos up nicely for a game-winning field goal:

McMillian now has an interception, four passes defended, two sacks, 16 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits this year. Pro Football Reference notes that he's allowing a 75.1 passer rating in coverage this year as well.

It's also not a secret that McMillian comes up clutch in big moments:

-Interception against Buffalo in the 2025 playoffs
-Key 3rd down sack against Patrick Mahomes in Week 11 of 2025
-Game-sealing sack in Week 1 of the 2025 season
-Pick-six against the Cleveland Browns in 2024

And I am sure there is a lot more that I've missed, too. McMillian's clutch gene isn't some cliche - it's real. The Broncos did give him a pretty sizeable raise this year. In 2025, McMillian made just over $1 million. This year, the Broncos have him under a one-year deal worth just under $6 million.

Obviously, he'd again need another contract following the 2026 season, but I am not sure what he hasn't done to not deserve a new deal. Yes, he's a slot cornerback, and it's not always easy to identify the financial impact of those players, but McMillian's big-time play and even 'plus' ability at getting into the backfield and being physical makes him one of the more valuable players on the team.

He also just turned 26 years old this summer, so youth is still on his side.

With how consistently awesome McMillian continues to be, there isn't a reason not to give him a contract extension.

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