The Brink’s truck is rolling to Pat Surtain II’s crib.
The Broncos signed the All-Pro to a four-year contract extension, the team announced on Wednesday, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history and further cementing him as a cornerstone of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
“It’s surreal,” Surtain said. “I’m glad to be here for many years to come and looking to build on the future.”
Multiple sources told The Denver Post that Surtain’s deal is worth $96 million, with $77.5 guaranteed. He will earn an average of $24 million per year, surpassing Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander ($21 million), Atlanta’s A.J. Terrell ($20.25 million) and Cleveland’s Denzel Ward ($20.1 million) in average annual compensation.
In July, Denver also locked down starting right guard Quinn Meinerz long-term, signing the big-belly lineman to a four-year extension worth up to $80 million.
The Broncos are tight up against the salary cap to start the season. In order to create enough space to extend Surtain, the team converted $11.875 million of receiver Courtland Sutton’s base salary to signing bonus and in the process created $9.5 million in cap space. That allowed Denver to have enough room to give Surtain the massive deal and spread his bonus numbers out across the length of the contract.
“I think both sides felt good about the timing,” head coach Sean Payton said. “It’s securing a really talented player at a position that’s hard to find.”
Surtain became Denver’s highest draft pick under general manager George Paton when the team selected him ninth overall in 2021. Since then, Surtain has established himself as one of the top cornerbacks in the league, starting in 49 of 50 games, totaling 170 tackles, 36 passes defended and seven interceptions.
As a rookie, Surtain started in 15 games, recording 14 passes defended and four picks while allowing a 61.3 passer rating. He followed that up with an impressive sophomore campaign that saw him become the youngest player in Broncos history to make first-team All-Pro.
Last season, he earned his second Pro Bowl nod after he collected 69 tackles and 12 passes defended while holding opposing quarterbacks to an 88.2 passer rating.
Surtain said he welcomes the increased expectations that come with such a pay bump as he enters the 2024 campaign. He was named a team captain by his teammates for the first time in his career — taking on a leadership void in the secondary left behind by the departure of safety Justin Simmons.
“It shows how much this team believes in me,” he said. “I don’t take that for granted, and I’m going to give it everything I got on that field this year.”
A contract extension had been looming over Surtain since the completion of his third year in the league. Surtain made it clear multiple times during the offseason that he wanted to be in Denver long-term, as did the Broncos, who picked up his fifth-year option in March.
Surtain said a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders since signing on the dotted line.
“It’s life-changing to be able to get this deal done so early in my career,” Surtain said. “Some people don’t see second contracts.”
Surtain’s career trajectory led him to this point. The son of former NFL defensive back Pat Surtain Sr., he was a five-star recruit coming out of American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla. He spent three years playing under former coach Nick Saban at Alabama, where he was named a unanimous first-team All-American by the Associated Press.
Since Surtain has been in the league, he has received praise from current and former players. He was ranked No. 52 in this year’s NFL Top 100 list — voted on by the players. Former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman compared Surtain to Darelle Revis while Broncos legend Champ Bailey, arguably one of the best to play the position, said last season Surtain had the potential to be an “all-time great.”
“It was inevitable. My dog was gonna get that bag at some point,” Sutton said. “Pat is the best corner in the NFL. I don’t care what anybody says. He’s proven it week in and week out that he’s the best at what he does.”
Surtain Sr., who spent 11 seasons in the NFL, said his son hasn’t reached his peak yet.
“I think in the next couple of years, you’ll see a guy who is capable of making it to Canton one day,” Surtain Sr., the current defensive backs coach at Florida State, told The Post. “I know that’s the goal he sets for himself.”
Most guaranteed money for cornerbacks in NFL
| Player | Team | Contract | Guaranteed money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pat Surtain II | Broncos | 4 years, $96 million | $77.5 million |
| 2. Denzel Ward | Cleveland | 5 years, $100.5 million | $71.25 million |
| 3. Marlon Humphrey | Baltimore | 5 years, $97.5 million | $67.3 million |
| 4. A.J. Terrell | Atlanta | 4 years, $81 million | $65.8 million |
| 5. Marshon Lattimore | New Orleans | 5 years, $97.6 million | $58.1 million |
Source: Spotrac
