In one of the easiest decisions of the 2024 offseason, the Denver Broncos are keeping one of their best young players.
Denver has picked up the fifth-year option on cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the team announced Tuesday.
Surtain has very much lived up to the expectations that came with his ninth-overall selection in the 2021 draft. He's earned Pro Bowl appearances in each of his last two seasons, took home a first-team All-Pro honor in 2022, and has logged seven interceptions and 36 passes defensed in three seasons.
Surtain took a slight step back in 2023, a season played without the direction of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who oversaw Surtain's best season as a pro in 2022 before leaving for Carolina in 2023. Largely, though, Surtain is considered to be among the game's most promising young corners, and with Denver entering a rebuilding period, it's crucial to keep young standouts like Surtain on the roster.
Surtain's fifth-year option will produce an increase in base pay of more than $13 million, jumping from $6.6 million to $19.8 million. It's a hefty increase, but provides Denver with protection against potentially losing Surtain in free agency after the 2024 season, as well as time to work on a long-term deal.
Surtain will return to the field in 2024 knowing he'll be in Denver for the next two seasons, and perhaps for many more years to come.
