Broncos, guard Quinn Meinerz agree to four-year, $80 million extension

One of the NFL’s top young offensive linemen, Quinn Meinerz is getting a Mile High raise.

Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo from NFL Network Insiders reported on Tuesday that Meinerz and the Denver Broncos have finalized a four-year extension contract worth $80 million, which includes $45 million in guarantees.

The 2021 NFL Draft third-round pick was approaching the final season of his initial contract, with a pending base salary of $3.36 million. General Manager George Paton and his team decided to secure the 25-year-old’s future with the team before the start of training camp. They offered him a contract that ranks him among the top-earning guards in the league. If we consider fresh income only, Meinerz’s total contract salary of $80 million ranks fourth among guards (third for right guards) and his annual average of $20 million is tied for third (second for right guards).

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In 2023, Meinerz garnered an 83.7 overall grade from PFF — tops in his three seasons so far and third among guards behind only the Atlanta Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom (87.7) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Kevin Dotson (84.4). Thus, his paycheck will now match his performance and continue an unbelievable football journey for the Division III product who has emerged as an NFL standout only three years after losing his senior season at Wisconsin-Whitewater due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the course of his three seasons, Meinerz has participated in 45 games and started in 39 of them, showing progressive improvement each year. In the previous season, he started all 17 games as a right guard, permitted only two sacks, and dominated his opponents in the running game. His prowess in run blocking is highlighted by his 88.7 PFF grade.

Heading into training camp, the Broncos will have a quarterback competition between rookie first-rounder Bo Nix, Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. While it remains to be seen who Denver’s starting QB will be come Week 1 of the 2024 season, the Broncos have smartly secured a massive building block up front for the foreseeable future.