The NFL has a new highest-paid defensive back.
Patrick Surtain II and the Denver Broncos have agreed to terms on a four-year, $96 million extension with $77.5 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday, per sources. The team subsequently announced the four-year pact.
The $24 million-per-year average makes Surtain the highest-paid defensive back, sprinting past safety Antoine Winfield Jr. ($21.025 million) and corner Jaire Alexander ($21 million).
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Surtain quickly ascended into the best-corner conversation with a physical style and sticky coverage. The DB earned an All-Pro nod in 2022 and made the Pro Bowl squad each of the past two seasons.
Surtain's 6-foot-2 frame allows him to match up with bigger wideouts, while his athleticism provides the speed to stick with speedsters. The 24-year-old is among the few cornerbacks in the NFL with the skill set to travel with any receiver.
The Broncos were smart to get ahead of an extension for one of their building blocks. Surtain had two years remaining on his contract, including a fifth-year option worth $19.802 million in 2025. Denver could have elected to play things out for at least another year. Instead, they have him under contract for the next six years.
With Sauce Gardner eligible for an extension next offseason, the cost would have only increased.
Surtain resetting the CB market by $3 million annually shouldn't come as a surprise. He's that good. With the pace of WR contracts skyrocketing, it was only a matter of time before the coverage men best able to silence those pass catchers would see their worth reflected in dollars.
Surtain became the sixth defensive back to hit the $20-plus-million-per-year plateau. Twenty-three WRs make at least $20 million, including 12 north of $24 million per year.
