The longest-tenured player on the roster has found his permanent home right where his NFL journey began. On Thursday afternoon, the Denver Broncos announced they reached a 4-year contract extension with left tackle Garett Bolles.
“This is a dream come true,” Bolles said following his extension. “I grew up in this city. I became a man in this city as a football player, as a husband. And [to] get to be here long term with my family, it means the world to me. I’m just so grateful for the [Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group] — and what an amazing ownership group we have.”
Broncos Country,
It’s been a great 8 years! Thanks for everything!
And …
I’m not leaving. The show goes on!
GB#BroncoForLife #4more #beatthecolts#probowlvote @gbolles72 pic.twitter.com/euYV4bAPp8
— Garett Bolles (@gbolles72) December 12, 2024
Drafted 20th overall in 2017, Bolles has transformed from a promising rookie to a cornerstone of the Broncos’ offensive line. The 2024 season has been particularly impressive for Bolles, who has allowed just one sack and 24 quarterback pressures across 476 pass-blocking snaps. He also ranks second amongst all tackles with at least 200 pass-blocking snaps this season, with 4.9 quarterback pressure percentage and 0.2 sack percentage.
During Bolles’ tenure in Denver, he’s protected the blind side of many different quarterbacks. Unfortunately for Bolles, cycling through this many quarterbacks also meant very little success for the Broncos. Just like the Broncos for the past few seasons, he’s never seen the playoffs.
But that may be changing this season, as the Broncos sit at 8-5, and are firmly in the playoff picture.
“It means the world,” Bolles said of being part of Denver’s success. “All I wanted to do was win here, and win at the highest level, and play in the biggest games in the biggest moments with the biggest stars and the brightest lights. … Just the culture that we have here for so many years now, it’s awesome to be where we’re at. It’s not over, it’s not done [and] we still have a lot of work to do. But, we’re putting people in the right positions to be successful.”
One thing is for certain, and that is that Bolles is here to stay. According to him, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I didn’t start off the way I wanted to start off here, but I get to finish how I want to finish,” said Bolles. “And just [to] get to be a Bronco for life, I’m just very grateful.”