Former Broncos First-Round Pick Cautions Team on Nik Bonitto's Future

All eyes are on the Nik Bonitto situation, as the Denver Broncos weigh when and whether to extend the All-Pro pass rusher.

Nov 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) celebrates his sack in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos have multiple players eligible for an extension this offseason. However, the Broncos are being urged to get All-Pro rush linebacker Nik Bonitto’s extension done, as his price will only continue to rise.

Pass rushers are extremely valuable, and this offseason has seen some big contracts handed out, which Bonitto and his agents should be happy about. Trevor Pryce was a Broncos first-round pick in 1997, playing with the club through 2005.

Pryce shared his take on Bonitto's future with the The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson, issuing a warning to the Broncos on the urgency of the matter.

"He’s going to ask for the bag and he deserves it... Sign him right now because the price is just going to go up," Pryce told Tomasson. "What are you waiting for? Him to get 17 sacks? ... It’s not like he’s going to... forget how to play football.”

Pryce knows a thing or two about getting after the quarterback, with 91 career sacks, 63 of them with the Broncos. He was an All-Pro and a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year in 2003 with the Broncos, coming in last in the voting. 

Tomasson reports that Bonitto is looking for $20 million per year in a new deal. That's a fair ask, considering what Bonitto has done so far in his career, but his situation could be volatile. 

There is no doubt about Bonitto's skill as a pass rusher, but seven of his 13.5 sacks were in garbage time.

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This inconvenient truth raises questions, especially considering Bonitto's low-pressure rate. He's a boom-or-bust pass rusher who has largely been shut out when the game isn’t out of hand. There are also well-documented issues with Bonitto's run defense, which was exposed in the Broncos' playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

So, the Broncos have an interesting decision to make. Signing Bonitto to a new deal, only to see him fail to replicate or build on his 2024 body of work, is risky, but waiting is, too, as his price can easily skyrocket.

Pryce is right. Bonitto isn’t going to forget how to play football, but will teams figure out how to shut down and limit him, or will the Broncos' All-Pro continue to grow and develop as a player, particularly as a run defender, where he has been more of a liability than an asset? 

There is no wrong decision for the Broncos because of the risk either way. However, when it comes to the order of priority, a Bonitto extension should be behind All-Pro defensive lineman Zach Allen and No. 1 wide receiver Courtland Sutton. With Allen’s contract voiding and the dead money that would be created, the Broncos have to get a deal done, and without Sutton, the team's wide receiver room becomes a major concern. 

That said, Bonitto is a George Paton draft pick, and the Broncos' general manager has spoken multiple times about the team rewarding its own. It doesn’t matter if Denver gets an extension this year or uses the franchise tag after this season to buy more time and extend Bonitto a year from now.

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All that matters is that Paton puts the money where his mouth is and rewards Bonitto with an extension.

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