JUNE 12: Surtain’s raise will come with a restructure. The Broncos will create cap space in the short term by converting all of Surtain’s remaining base salaries to option bonuses, according to OverTheCap. Denver created $4.1MM in cap space in 2026, $9.3MM in 2027, $8MM in 2028 and $9.59MM in 2029 via this restructure. As a result of the 2026 adjustment, OverTheCap lists the Broncos as having $29.79MM in cap space.
Of course, this will mean issues down the road. A $41.1MM void years bill now sits on the contract in 2031. The Broncos, however, can move to delay that with another extension. Should Surtain stay on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and see more corners surpass him on the market, it is not hard to see the Broncos coming in with a true extension. This pay raise would seemingly be a prelude to that.
JUNE 2: In September 2024, Broncos superstar Patrick Surtain inked a four-year, $96MM extension and became the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback by average annual value. That deal will not kick in until this year, but the Broncos are already giving Surtain a pay bump.
Denver will hand Surtain a $5MM raise for 2026, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. He will have a chance to earn another $5MM with a Pro Bowl or All-Pro selection. Surtain will have to make the Pro Bowl on the original ballot, not as an alternate, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
Surtain entered the day fourth at his position in guarantees, fifth in average annual value and sixth in total money. Fellow cornerbacks Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner,Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley Jr. have all signed massive extensions over the past year-plus, leading to Surtain’s drop in the financial pecking order. Recognizing his importance to their team, the Broncos are upping Surtain’s pay in an act of good faith. His base salary will climb from $7.632MM to $12.632, per Tomasson.
Surtain entered the NFL in 2021 as the ninth overall pick, one selection after the Panthers made Horn the highest-drafted corner in the class. While Horn has enjoyed a successful career, Surtain has turned into one of the game’s elite players. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder has made the Pro Bowl four times and earned three All-Pro selections (two first-team nods and a second-teamer). In his most impressive accomplishment, Surtain took home Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2024, during which he tied a career high with four interceptions and allowed a measly 58.9 passer rating on 62 targets.
Surtain missed three games with a pectoral tear and saw his INT total drop to one last year, but he held passers to an awful 54.1 completion percentage and 66.6 rating on 61 targets. It went down as yet another Pro Bowl/All-Pro season for Surtain, whose history suggests he will earn the extra $5MM in incentives that are now available to him in 2026.
