Payton Suggests Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto Next In Line for Extension

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton claimed at the onset of training camp last month that the organization was engaged in contract negotiations with several of its extension candidates.

The Broncos have since made good on that claim, locking down wide receiver Courtland Sutton on Monday with a four-year, $92 million deal and defensive end Zach Allen on Saturday with a four-year, $102 million pact -- a combined $110.5 million in guaranteed money between the pair.

According to Payton, the next to grab a very lucrative bag could be outside linebacker Nik Bonitto.

“I was just saying, when you guys began camp and it was discussed, the unsigned players, they were all clumped together," he told reporters Saturday. "What you don’t understand is there are different stages in the process. So if you would’ve asked me at the start of camp, and I probably wouldn’t have answered it, but I would’ve said [WR Courtland] Sutton, [DL Zach] Allen and then [OLB Nik] Bonitto. You understand it when you sign with a year left remaining, well, there’s a cost to that a little bit. You gain another year of security from injury. When you sign as a free agent, that number is probably bigger. So those are all the decisions that weigh into the player and the organization’s mind.”

A 2022 second-round pick, Bonitto broke out in his first full season as an NFL starter, finishing third in the league with 13.5 sacks while leading the Broncos in tackles-for-loss (16) and forced fumbles (2) en route to Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.

Bonitto, 26 (in September), is entering the final year of his rookie contract, slated to earn $5.346 million in base salary for 2025 -- the 123rd highest-paid OLB among 269 NFL qualifiers. Popular salary-cap website Spotrac estimated his market value at $23.6 million annually.

The Oklahoma product revealed on July 20 that "talks [with the Broncos] are happening right now" but there's no specific "time period" for the sides to reach an agreement.

The clock, however, seems to be ticking closer.

“Well, a lot of times, [OLB] Nik [Bonitto] for instance, is in the midst of a transition, and so [WR] Courtland [Sutton] appeared to be the one," Payton said Saturday of the negotiating process. "You don’t know how it’s going to unfold, but Courtland appeared to be the one that was going to happen maybe a little earlier. So the work will always continue. What I appreciate most is that these guys were here practicing. There was none of the noise and potential distractions that can take place. It’s always difficult when you’re talking about somebody’s money, and I understand that.”