Were it not for a highly unfortunate ankle break suffered during the Divisional Round playoff win against the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos could well have been given an opportunity for a rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII from 12 years prior, where the Seattle Seahawks crushed the Broncos 43-8.
The Broncos boasted the league’s third best total defense and what was unequivocally one of the best secondaries in the league, headlined by 2024 Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-Pro Pat Surtain II.
And although Surtain did not manage to retain his crown after a monster season from recently-traded Myles Garrett landed him the 2025 DPOY, the Broncos were no doubt sufficiently impressed with his work yet again to don him a $5 million pay raise in 2026.
“The Broncos are giving CB Pat Surtain a $5 million raise this year, per his agent Tory Dandy. He has a chance to make another $5M next year if he makes All Pro or Pro Bowl this year.” Schefter reported on June 2.
Why Did the Broncos give Pat Surtain II a Pay Raise?
It is somewhat unusual for teams to give their players – even stars – a pay increase mid-contract. Especially for a player in Surtain’s current situation where he has four whole years left on his 4 year, $96 million extension signed back in 2024.
However, the market has moved at an unprecedented rate at that and indeed other important non-QB positions.
Corners, receivers and defensive linemen’s contracts have all gone through the roof over the past two seasons, leaving Surtain – who makes a strong case to be one of the top two corners in all of football, along with Derek Stingley Jr. – ranking just 6th in highest paid CBs in the NFL.
So in the interest of keeping their top defensive player happy the Broncos used a little of their comparatively fairly abundant cap space to send a bit more money to Surtain.
What Will the Broncos Secondary Look Like in 2026?
Barring injury, the Broncos are set to have impressive continuity across the roster. Denver only added one unrestricted free agent this year, safety Tycen Anderson, and one street free agent in Michael Woods II. The team did also add Jaylen Waddle via trade, sending the Miami Dolphins the 30th overall pick and more for his services.
But this inter-roster familiarity should certainly feature benefits for the team. The only major change at secondary could end up being the displacement of 2023 third round pick Riley Moss as the starting outside corner, with 2025 first round pick Jahdae Barron set to compete for the position.
Barron could also end up competing for additional reps in the slot with recently-tendered nickel Ja’Quan McMillian. Otherwise, with Brandon Jones alongside All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga, the Broncos’ back-end of the defense once again looks to be very strong.
Broncos Hand Pat Surtain II Reward After Another Strong Season