The Denver Broncos are probably going to extend Nik Bonitto this coming offseason. Let's try to predict what that contract will look like. The emergence of Bonitto over the last two seasons has been quite something to watch. He truly broke out in 2024 and was a DPOY candidate for some time.
In 2024, Bonitto racked up four passes defended, two defensive touchdowns, 13.5 sacks, 48 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 24 QB hits. He was all over the place this past season and made a ton of clutch plays.
What kind of contract will Nik Bonitto get?
He has been most known for his pick-six against the Cleveland Browns and his fumble-six against the Indianapolis Colts, which turned the tide of each game for the Broncos. He was a 2022 NFL Draft pick and really did not make much of an impact during his rookie campaign.
But in year two and year three, he gradually got better. Now set to turn 26 years old at the start of the 2025 NFL Season and having finished his third season, it's time to get an extension done. If the Broncos wait, they may risk upsetting Bonitto and may also see his pricetag get that much higher.
Denver did extend Jonathon Cooper, their other stud pass rusher. He got a deal worth $13.5 million per year. That is the 22nd-richest contract at his position in the NFL. For Bonitto, he is obviously not going to get money like Nick Bosa, Joshua Hines-Allen, Brian Burns, and TJ Watt have. The number that the Broncos and Bonitto might end up settling on is around $20 million per year, which would put him in the tier with guys like Jonathan Greenard, Khalil Mack, Von Miller, and Joey Bosa.
It is important to remember that Greenard signed his deal last offseason, and Mack's, Miller's and Bosa's are a bit outdated for the position. The latter three players are getting older and just aren't the type of player they used to be, so their contract figure isn't totally accurate based on their play.
Right about those guys is Trey Hendrickson at $21 million per year and Bradley Chubb at $22 million per year. In terms of age and injury history, Bonitto could argue that he deserves more. Hendrickson is beginning to get older, and Bradley Chubb just cannot stay on the field.
Above Chubb and Hendrickson are Maxx Crosby at $23.5 million per year, Rashan Gary at $24 million per year, and Montez Sweat at $24.5 million per year. I am not sure Bonitto is going to be able to get that high, and I believe he'll find himself somewhere in the middle of all of this, around $23 million per season.
Bonitto is set to play in his age-26 season, and being that the Denver Broncos have handed out a bunch of four-year contract extensions lately, I have no reason to believe that Bonitto will not get the same.
A four-year deal worth $92 million comes out to that $23 million per year figure. In terms of the guarantees, many of these pass-rusher contracts are not chock-full of guaranteed money. I could see Bonitto settling in around $40 million in guarantees, which would put him right above Jonathan Greenard's $38 million in guarantees.
It would be a significant raise and would put him near the very top of the pass-rusher contracts in the NFL. Let's predict that the Denver Broncos sign Nik Bonitto to a four-year, $92 million with $40 million guaranteed. How does that sound?