In his five years at the Ohio State University, Jonathon Cooper recorded just ten sacks. The Broncos took Cooper as a 7th-round selection in 2021, and he entered the league with minimal expectations. In his first two years in the NFL, Cooper recorded just 4.5 total sacks as a rotational piece for a pair of lackluster Broncos teams.
Since then, Cooper has notched 25 sacks in roughly two and a half seasons' worth of games. Cooper has become a vital piece to the Broncos' defensive plans and one of the NFL's premier pass rushers. Cooper has quickly become one of the more underrated pass rushers in football and one-half of the NFL's best pass rush duo.
Cooper, along with several other Broncos, was coming up on the end of his initial Broncos contract entering this season. Considering his recent production in balance with his lack of collegiate and early production, his next extension was difficult to predict. Nevertheless, George Paton was able to lock in Cooper long-term with the Broncos.
George Paton's extension of Jonathon Cooper is already looking like a steal for the Broncos
Paton locked Jonathon Cooper into a four-year extension at $60 million total before the season, and it seems to be a steal already. Cooper currently sits 4th in the league in sacks, behind his teammate and running mate Nik Bonitto. For the production they have received, the Broncos clearly have Cooper at an absolute bargain.
At $60 million total, Cooper's contract has the 14th-highest total value of any edge rusher in football. Considering he is in the top-5 in the league in sacks but only has the 14th largest contract for edge rushers, the Broncos have a steal with Cooper. The 5th-year Bronco has more sacks than the likes of TJ Watt, Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, and Nick Bosa, all of whom make considerably more money than Cooper does.
Also of note, he has turned in a pair of clutch fourth-quarter sacks the last two weeks. Cooper has provided a clutch gene to the Broncos' defensive group that has already paid dividends. At 34 total sacks, the Broncos remain eight sacks ahead of the next closest team in the NFL for the league lead. Credit is deserved for general manager Paton, who has done an incredible job scouting, drafting, developing, and retaining the NFL's best pass rush unit, highlighted by the successes of Jonathon Cooper as a former 7th-round selection.