Nik Bonitto wanted to get paid; he made that clear this offseason, but he never put himself ahead of the Denver Broncos, and for that, the edge rusher was rewarded with a massive four-year extension on Thursday.
Bonitto saw teammates Zach Allen, Courtland Sutton and others ahead of him, and still he didn’t “become that guy.” Perhaps it reflects the former second-rounder’s faith in his organization, or maybe it’s the Broncos’ calculated risk on Bonitto that has brought the sides together in the first place. Either way, Denver has its edge rusher of the long term during the Bo Nix era, the so-called successor to Von Miller, who just so happened to be the result of the deal that sent the Broncos legend to the Rams.
“A lot of tears. I think I probably ran out of tears to last a year,” Bonitto said of his nine-figure deal. “Just talking with my mom, my dad, my brother, my agent. It was a whole bunch of emotions going through me this morning. Obviously, the video I posted is going viral, of me singing and stuff. It’s just been a whirlwind of emotions today.”
Nik Bonitto on his initial reaction to his contract extension with the Denver Broncos:
“A lot of tears. I think I probably ran out of tears to last a year.” #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/QpYOM6Oqmb
— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) September 4, 2025
“There’s no amount of gratitude that I can show to show how appreciative I am of everybody involved,” Bonitto said later on Thursday. “Just talking with my agent, he told me it would kind of be a thing where it would probably lead up to game week. So I never had any doubts it would get done. He just told me to keep working my butt off, keep preparing for Tennessee, and just keep being ready to dominate, and he’ll handle the rest. They ended up getting it done, so I’m happy to be here now for sure.”
Bonitto’s 13.5 sacks were a key part of Denver’s top defense in 2024, and he factors to be an important part, if not maybe the biggest player in the Broncos defense moving forward. But it wasn’t always promised that he would get there. Let alone going 64th overall, Bonitto had just 1.5 sacks in his rookie season.
“Coach ‘V.J.’ (Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph). It was kind of weird… When he first came here, I was coming off my rookie year, he tells me to come up to his office to talk to him,” Bonitto recalls. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind me telling this story, but he’s just like, ‘Nik, you know you can be a double-digit sack guy in this league.’ I’m like, ‘Are you sure you brought the right guy in here? I just had a one sack season.’ (Laughs) He had ultimate confidence in me, and it’s paid off. I just had to wait my turn and just keep working. I finally got to see his vision. ”
Joseph, the man who saw it early with Bonitto, sees even more in his future.
“I think last year he was finally on the field enough to show his production. Our first year here, he was on a good run for about four games, he got injured. Last year was his first time playing extended games and having a Top 5 production. I think [OLB] Nik [Bonitto] is a player that’s still growing. The best for Nik is ahead of him,” Joseph said. “If teams don’t have a plan for him, he can wreck a game. Again, he’s so humble. He’s still working. He’s a young player, he gets that. So I think the best is still ahead, which is good for us.”