The Denver Broncos locked up star cornerback Pat Surtain II with a four-year, $96 million contract extension in September of 2024.
That deal continues to age well for the Broncos, as proven by other contracts handed out to corners around the league.
New York Jets star Sauce Gardner became the new highest-paid cornerback on the NFL on Tuesday, inking a contract that will pay him an average salary of $30.1 million per year, or a little more than $6 million per season higher than Surtain.
Gardner is a great weapon for the Jets, but Surtain was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. He’s largely regarded as the best cornerback in the NFL. Yet, now with Gardner’s deal and a slew of others, Pat Surtain II is the fifth-highest paid corner in the league.
The value of being proactive with extensions:
The Broncos made Patrick Surtain the highest-paid CB last year at $24M per year.
Now, just a year later — and after a Defensive Player of the Year season — he’s already dropped to 5th on the list. https://t.co/cIbvMeoVqu pic.twitter.com/9fyJN1nFfc
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 15, 2025
Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr. from the Texans, Jaycee Horn from the Panthers and Jaylen Ramsey from the Steelers all make more than Surtain. $24 million a year is a ton of money, but in NFL terms, head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton got a bargain with Surtain.
The former Alabama star and first-round draft pick is locked up with the Broncos through the 2029 season, so right into the middle of his prime.
And if the Denver defense can continue to play at a high level, Surtain could be a big reason why the franchise secures its fourth Lombardi Trophy over the next few years.
The Broncos made a smart business decision signing Pat Surtain II when they did. They don’t have to worry about the rest of the league paying cornerbacks more, who aren’t quite as good as PS2.