Getty Pat Surtain II #2 of the Denver Broncos.
The Denver Broncos have undergone a lot of change this offseason. Gone are their 2023 Week 1 starting quarterback, the No. 2 wide receiver, the starting center, and both starting safeties, among others.
That has 24-year-old Pat Surtain II the fourth longest-tenured Bronco behind Garett Bolles and Courtland Sutton.
Sutton has remained away from the team as he seeks a new contract with two years left.
Surtain also has two more seasons left on his contract after too, and it comes at a rather high number. But the two-time Pro Bowler is not worried about it as he prepares for the upcoming 2024 season.
“That time will come,” Surtain said,” per The Denver Post’s Ryan McFadden on June 3. “I’m focused on being the best player I can be.”
It is essentially the same message he gave back in January.
Pat Surtain II is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. When asked about it, he said he’s focused on winning this game on Sunday and those talks will happen at the right time.
Surtain will count $6.7 million against the cap in 2024, per Over The Cap.
That number will balloon upwards of $19 million if he plays on his fifth-year option. He is coming off a polarizing season that saw him post career-worst marks in completion percentage allowed and interceptions.
However, only seven defenders held opposing QBs to worst competition percentages (59.3%) while seeing as many or more targets (91) come their direction, per Pro Football Reference.
Surtain’s value to the Broncos is only raised by the lack of a proven option opposite him.
Eagles’ Darius Slay: Broncos’ Pat Surtain the ‘No. 1 Corner’
GettyPat Surtain II #2 of the Denver Broncos.
Surtain’s name came up in trade speculation this offseason as potential trade bait to help the Broncos move up for a quarterback. They did not, selecting Bo Nix in their initial No. 12 slot, leaving Surtain in limbo.
If he hits the market or becomes disgruntled before then – the Broncos can franchise tag him up to three times – there would likely be no shortage of suitors for his services.
Even his peers respect his standing.
Philadelphia Eagles star Darius Slay is regarded as one of the top corners in the game today. But when asked to name his top five corners, Slay could only name Surtain as the best corner in the league.
“Marshon Lattimore is one of my favorite ones. … Slept on, man. Been a dog since he entered the league. Marshawn. Of course, Jalen Ramsey a guy I love to watch. Xavien Howard is a guy. Trevon Diggs, man. Ward, Denzel Ward. Sauce [Gardner] and Surtain coming up, but Surtain by far I’ll give one. I can give No. 1 spot, Surtain is the number one corner right now – to me,” Slay said on the “2nd Wind” podcast in September 2023.
“Overall game. Definitely after last year’s performance. He had a great performance, man. Sauce up there too. He one of them young pups that’s coming along.
“Pat the best one, though. I can always tell you who the best one for me is.”
Broncos’ Finances Remain in Flux
GettyGeneral manager George Paton of the Denver Broncos.
One of the more highly-touted aspects of having a rookie at quarterback is the cost-controlled contract and the financial flexibility it provides. The Broncos have $7.7 million in cap space, per OTC, as they absorb a $53 million dead cap hit from Russell Wilson this season.
They have $67.6 million total in cap space allocated to seven players no longer on the team.
Extending Bolles ($20 million cap hit) and Sutton ($17.4 million hit) would increase their cap space in the interim.
But it would eat into future years when the Broncos could be more inclined to address Surtain. His fellow homegrown talents Baron Browning, Jonathan Cooper, and Quinn Meinerz are all up for new contracts after next season too.