ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — One of the NFL’s best young pass rushers is staying in Denver.
The Broncos signed outside linebacker Nik Bonitto to a four-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday.
The 2022 second-round pick recorded a career-high 13.5 sacks and a pair of defensive touchdowns last season and earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. Bonitto also recorded 16 tackles for loss, 24 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles. During the campaign, Bonitto recorded a sack in six consecutive games, which marked the longest streak in the NFL in 2024. It tied for the third-longest streak in team history.
In 2024, Bonitto became just the second player in team history to record defensive scores in back-to-back games, and he is the first NFL player since 2014 to post 13.5 sacks and two scores in a season.
Bonitto, who has 21.5 sacks in his last two seasons, has shown his game-changing play ability throughout his career.
He forced a fumble against the Bears in 2023, which Jonathon Cooper picked up to return for a game-tying score. In 2024, Bonitto sealed a win over the Raiders with a forced fumble and then posted touchdowns in back-to-back weeks. Against the Browns, Bonitto read Jameis Winston’s eyes to pick off a pass and return it 71 yards for a score. Two weeks later — after the Broncos’ bye week — Bonitto snagged a lateral out of the air and ran it back 50 yards to ice a win over Indianapolis.
Bonitto was recently named the 38th-ranked player on the NFL Top 100, which was selected by his peers.
The Oklahoma product is the third player whom the Broncos have re-signed in recent weeks, as Denver also signed defensive lineman Zach Allen and wide receiver Courtland Sutton to long-term deals.
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