The Denver Broncos are facing a stark reality with four-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro Pat Surtain II, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.
A new standard has been set.
The New England Patriots signed Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez to a record four-year, $135 million contract. It is not the only deal that has come about since Surtain signed a four-year, $96 million extension with the Broncos. It is the most recent and makes the reality clear.
“I just think that’s what the market is now. Everybody’s gonna jump the market, but it’s well-deserved. Hell of a player. And he’s one of those guys that I definitely look at and watch film on,” Surtain told reporters on September 8 in reaction to Gonzalez’s deal. “It’s well deserved. So, congrats to him. When that time come, that time come. Right now, I can only control what I can control, and that’s being the best version of myself on the field.”
The Broncos will need to revisit Surtain’s contract, even after giving him a $5 million raise earlier this year.
Broncos’ Pat Surtain II Underpaid
Surtain’s deal was a record for cornerbacks when he first signed it. Now, it ranks seventh in total value, ninth in average salary, and 10th in fully guaranteed money, per Over The Cap. It is still sixth in total guarantees.
That is still below the current market value.
As The Broncos Wire’s Brandon Walker noted, Gonzalez’s deal makes Surtain’s an even greater bargain than it already was.
In order to keep Surtain from feeling like he lost out on a boatload of cash, the Broncos gave Surtain a $5 million raise earlier this year. Surtain can also earn another $5 million raise in 2027 if he is either selected to the Pro Bowl or is named an All-Pro in 2026. That goal seems very much in reach, considering Surtain is just one season removed from being named Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, and is still considered the gold standard of the NFL at his position,” Walker wrote on September 8.
“Even after that raise, Surtain’s contract is still a bargain compared to the NFL’s raising cornerback market.”
That none of the players earning more than him have accomplished more only helps Surtain.
Pat Surtain II Expected to be ‘Headliner’
Pro Football Focus ranked Surtain third among corners. He is behind only Sauce Gardner and Devon Witherspoon. Both players now make more than Surtain. PFF noted Surtain took a bit of a step back from his 2024 DPOY self in 2025.
“Surtain didn’t quite reach the heights of his Defensive Player of the Year-winning 2024 campaign last season, but he still played very well while accruing at least 1,000 snaps for the fourth straight year,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman wrote in August. “His 73.3 PFF grade ranked 22nd among all qualified cornerbacks. He also tallied 10 pass breakups and hauled in one interception. Surtain will continue to be the headliner for one of the league’s elite secondaries.”
The longer the Broncos wait, the more of Surtain’s peers will pass him on the contract chart.
Broncos Get Clear Message After Pro Bowler Lands Historic $135 Million Deal