Broncos pick up CB Pat Surtain II's fifth-year option
In what is considered one of the simplest decisions of the 2024 offseason, the Denver Broncos have decided to retain one of their top young talents.
Denver has picked up the fifth-year option on cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the team announced Tuesday.
Surtain has indeed met the expectations that accompanied his ninth-overall pick in the 2021 draft. He’s made it to the Pro Bowl in his previous two seasons, received a first-team All-Pro award in 2022, and has recorded seven interceptions and 36 pass deflections in his three-season career.
In 2023, Surtain experienced a minor setback, a season that was played without the supervision of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Evero had directed Surtain’s most successful professional season in 2022 before he left for Carolina in 2023. Nonetheless, Surtain is largely viewed as one of the most promising young corners in the game. As Denver enters a period of rebuilding, it’s essential to retain young stars like Surtain on the team.
Surtain’s fifth-year option will result in a base pay increase exceeding $13 million, elevating from $6.6 million to $19.8 million. Although this is a significant increase, it offers Denver a safeguard against possibly losing Surtain to free agency post the 2024 season, and also gives them the opportunity to negotiate a long-term contract.
Surtain will be back on the field in 2024, secure in the knowledge that he will remain in Denver for at least the next two seasons, if not many more.
