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

Here's Why Broncos Are Keeping Nik Bonitto Extension Talks Quiet

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Erick Trickel | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 8:35 PM ET

Over the course of the offseason, the Denver Broncos have engaged in negotiations with multiple players on extensions. Amidst the negotiations, one thing has remained constant, and that's how quiet things have been surrounding the talks.

As the Broncos continue to look into extensions for All-Pro rush linebacker Nik Bonitto and possibly defensive end John Franklin-Myers, center Luke Wattenberg, and defensive tackle Malcom Roach, among others, fans can expect things to remain quiet. It's best not to air such laundry publicly.

The point at which things go public with negotiations is often when they turn sour. The latest example is Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys, which ended with the talented pass rusher being traded away. The inevitable Parsons/Cowboys breakup became ugly, public, and petty between the player and ownership. Not a good look.

Of course, the many issues between Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones started with ‘handshake agreements’ between the two camps. Jones got upset that Parsons wanted to take it to his agent, as the Cowboys purportedly wanted it to stay between them and avoid involving the agent.

Things got ugly, Parsons ended up being traded, and Jones repeatedly referred to the Pro Bowler as "Michael" during the announcing press conference, which illustrated the pettiness on the part of the Cowboys' ownership. This is exactly what you don’t want from the Broncos with any of these players, but especially Bonttio.

Co-owner and CEO Greg Penner has been involved with the team, but he has shown he knows when to step back and let GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton do their jobs. The lack of interference from ownership can help keep things under the radar and avoid the limelight, unlike Jones. When ownership becomes heavy-handed and tries to manage things at the micro level, things tend to get messy.

Now, there is a difference between a player voicing frustration publicly, as Franklin-Myers has done on X, and the extent to which things deteriorated between Jones and Parsons. Franklin-Myers hasn't taken any shots at the Broncos' leadership, nor has there been any public shade thrown at players' agents, as happened in Dallas.

There is always some concern within the fanbase about the lack of news regarding player contract negotiations, but that can be a good thing. There wasn’t much information released about the extensions of wide receiver Courtland Sutton, defensive end Zach Allen, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, right guard Quinn Meinerz, or rush linebacker Jonathon Cooper, outside of Paton expressing a desire to re-sign them. Even then, some of the extensions came as a surprise.

So, while there is a lot of anxiety about the Bonitto contract within Broncos Country, there shouldn’t be — not yet, at least. The Broncos want to get the deal done, and Bonitto does as well, but he and his agents have also been waiting on other pass rusher contracts to get done. It takes two to tango.

Despite the worry because things aren’t unfolding publicly, it's a good thing that Paton is keeping the negotiations behind closed doors. The last thing you want is a breakup, or the two sides trading shots publicly.

The Denver Broncos are not the Dallas Cowboys. And that's a good thing.

This article first appeared on Denver Broncos on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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