Broncos sign C Luke Wattenberg to a four-year extension

Less than a week after inking kicker Wil Lutz to an extension, the Denver Broncos are committing to another player for the long haul. According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, the Broncos have agreed to a four-year extension with center Luke Wattenberg.

The pact is worth $48M, including $27M in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. We heard Monday that the team had “preliminary” talks with Wattenberg about a long-term deal, and the two sides must have made some significant progress during the team’s bye week.

Wattenberg’s contract vaults him towards the top of his position in both value and guarantees. The fourth-year player now ranks fifth at his position in both contract value and AAV, while the $27M in guaranteed money only trails the whopping $35M Creed Humphrey got from the Kansas City Chiefs.

A 2022 fifth-round pick, Wattenberg only got into 128 offensive snaps through his first two seasons in the NFL. Since then, he’s started all 24 of his appearances for the Broncos, with an ankle injury keeping him sidelined for four games last season. Pro Football Focus currently ranks him 20th among 38 qualifying centers, although he finished 18th on the site in 2024.

Clearly, the Broncos believe in his upside, and the organization is intent on providing Bo Nix with some offensive continuity. The front office committed to both Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz in 2024, and with Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers also signed long-term, Denver has seemingly locked in their offensive line for at least the next few years.

With Lutz and Watternberg having signed extensions over the past week, we’ll now see if the Broncos can pull off a deal with Malcolm Roach. We heard Monday that the front office had initial extension talks with the defensive lineman, although the veteran surely wouldn’t command the same payday as his teammates.