Pat Surtain’s Denver Broncos contract is big, but compared to other corners, it’s a bargain.
Denver general manager George Paton was smart to get Surtain signed early in the offseason, because deals are shooting skyward.
The good news is, the Broncos have Surtain locked up through 2029, and at a solid rate.
Pat Surtain’s Denver Broncos contract is a bargain vs. other cornerbacks
Derek Stingley Jr. of the Houston Texans just got paid. Capital “P” paid.
As Ian Rapoport said this morning, “The top has been blown off the DB market.”
Stingley Jr., who’s regarded as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL today, just earned a $90 million deal over just three years. That $30M AAV is by far the highest among players at the position, and makes Pat Surtain’s Denver Broncos contract of $24M AAV a bargain.
Paton and the Broncos front office was smart to get the now Defensive Player of the Year extended before the 2024 season kicked off.
At the time, the four-year, $96M contract was massive. Since then, two players–Singley and Jaycee Horn–have signed deals with higher AAVs. Horn’s deal with the Panthers came one week ago, and was four years for $100M. With Stingley’s deal, there are now four players that make more than Surtain per year, and five guys that have bigger total numbers.
When you dig into Surtain’s contract, the next two years are definitely team-friendly. He makes $22M but only $8.37M against the cap this year. In 2026 it’s $16.8M against the cap before jumping up to $26M, $29M, and $32M against the cap in 2029. Considering how the cap keeps ballooning, the best cornerback’s contract will likely look like even more of a deal in the near future.
Broncos superstar corner says “we are headed in the right direction”
Surtain is the kind of player you lock down for many years. Especially when the goal is to win a Super Bowl.
The Broncos have the best corner in the league, they have a dominant interior lineman in Zach Allen, and Nik Bonitto is emerging as a star in his own right. Then, they added Dre Greenlaw as the cover linebacker they’ve needed, along with Talonoa Hufanga. Simply, Denver’s defense is legitimate.
In an exclusive interview with DJ Siddiqi of RG.org, Surtain recently said the Broncos are building a contender.
“‘Are the Broncos Super Bowl Contenders,’” Surtain said of others questioning if the team is legit or not. “I feel like we are contenders in our own right. I feel like we are building success and I think we are headed in the right direction for sure.”
Offensively, the Broncos have found their quarterback in Bo Nix. Also, the offensive line has been built into one of the better units in the league. Denver needs to address their running game, but their young receiving corps has proven exciting, with Courtland Sutton leading the group. And Paton signed Evan Engram last week to help that offense thrive.
“I saw him grow and grow each and every week,” Surtain said of Nix. “Just seeing his mechanics, just the way he goes about his business, and it’s kind of rewarding knowing that you have a guy like that you work with each and every week.”
After getting back to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, and finally finding their quarterback, Broncos Country is extremely excited to see what’s next in 2025.