Broncos' OLB Nik Bonitto Poised to Hit 2026 as NFL's No. 1 Free Agent

The Denver Broncos currently control Nik Bonitto's future, but the NFL is licking its chops about the prospect of him hitting the open market in 2026.

August 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

With the Micah Parsons domino finally falling and Trey Hendrickson getting a nice little in-season pay raise, all eyes have turned to Denver Broncos All-Pro outside linebacker Nik Bonitto. Broncos GM George Paton has said that he's continuing to work on a Bonitto extension behind closed doors, but as time marches on, the team is inching ever closer to its star pass rusher becoming a free agent.

In the final year of his rookie deal, Bonitto is coming off a breakout season where he garnered both Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro accolades. And looking ahead to 2026, NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal has Bonitto ranked as the No. 1 free agent in the league.

"Having just earned his first Pro Bowl selection with 13.5 sacks, Bonitto is not a one-year wonder but a player who steadily built his game to become an unpredictable, every-down difference maker. Solidifying those gains in 2025 will net him a quarterback-like contract," Rosenthal wrote.

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Bonitto is expected to command $25 million/year as a floor. It's kind of crazy to think that the massive deal Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos back in 2012 paid an annual average of $19M, and now that's chump change not only for quarterbacks, but for top-tier edge rushers.

The one-year-wonder concerns are part of the equation with regard to Bonitto and the Broncos' negotiations. Yes, he's shown improvements as a player, but nothing palpable until last season, his breakout campaign.

But what a breakout it was. Bonitto did his best to assuage any one-year-wonder concerns by showing out in the limited preseason action the Broncos gave him. On one possession in San Francisco, he singlehandedly wrecked the 49ers' drive, making three straight plays to force a punt, including a sack.

Bonitto looks primed to repeat his Pro Bowl campaign, and the Broncos are working to get him re-signed and locked on. It's worth mentioning that he did suffer an injury in the preseason — a bone spur in his foot that kept him out of practice for about a week.

As recently as August 20th, though, Bonitto said publicly that negotiations with the Broncos are promising and heading in the right direction.

“They’re going well. I feel like there’s been good communication on both sides," Bonitto said. "I think it’s just my agent. I feel like he’s one of the best in the game. I feel like I have to trust what he’s doing. Knowing how they feel about me upstairs, I feel like something will get done. It’s just a matter of when. Until then, I just have to keep doing me.”

On the heels of extended All-Pro defensive end Zach Allen and wide receiver Courtland Sutton, it does feel like a Bonitto extension is a matter of course for the Broncos. It wouldn't be a surprise to see an announcement come before the Broncos' season-opener vs. the Tennessee Titans on September 7.

Stay tuned.