Before Patrick Surtain II became the NFL Defensive Player of the Year during the 2024 season, the Denver cornerback’s father played 11 NFL seasons as a cornerback.
That has given Surtain an extra perspective on his performances weekly during his four seasons in the NFL.
“I think the conversations are pretty real,” Surtain said during an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Friday of his father’s critiques. “He just gives me his feedback, and we just talk ball. He don’t have too much to say because we been doing this for my whole life. …
“Obviously, he’s going to have his pointers that I’ll learn from, that I’ll get lessons from, then I’ll use that for the next time on the field. But at the end of the day, it’s all love. With Pops being there, it makes it so much easier.”
Patrick Surtain Sr.’s NFL career featured 37 interceptions in 163 regular-season games. A second-round draft pick from Southern Miss in 1998, the elder Surtain earned Pro Bowl recognition with the Miami Dolphins in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Patrick Surtain II was 8 years old when his father played his final NFL game.
After playing for his father at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, Surtain became a unanimous All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year for Alabama’s undefeated CFP national-championship team for the 2020 season. The younger Surtain joined the Broncos as the ninth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Surtain has 11 interceptions in 66 regular-season games. He received Pro Bowl recognition in each of the past three seasons and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2022 and 2024.
“As a father, you want your kids to do better than what you did,” Surtain Sr. said. “He’s already exceeded what I done in the league. It’s been an awesome journey just to see his hard work pay off, starting from little league, throughout high school, college, and now he’s the best player in the world at his position. It’s been truly amazing.”
The Broncos concluded their offseason program on Thursday. Denver will return from its summer break in late July for training camp for the 2025 season.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.