Nik Bonitto has proven his contract is worth every penny through two games

The Denver Broncos got a bargain for Nik Bonitto. After a career year in which his 13.5 sacks were the third-most in the NFL, everyone knew it was time to pay the edge rusher out of Oklahoma who quickly blossomed into a star. Other edge rushers were inking contracts around the league — including an out-of-this-world deal that the Green Bay Packers gave Micah Parsons, and some started to wonder if the Broncos missed the golden opportunity to get a Bonitto deal done.

As it turns out, George Paton and company were able to keep Bonitto in Denver for the long haul with a steal of a deal. By signing him to a four-year contract with an average salary of $26.5 million per year, he became just the 10th-highest paid edge rusher in the league.

Was the deal worth it? Despite only having one year of top-10-level production, the Broncos signed him to the big contract. He had shown immense growth throughout his first three seasons, something that was enough evidence for the Broncos to justify the contract.

Through the first two games of season, Bonitto has further justified the organization’s reasoning for the deal, as he’s proving that he’s not just some one-hit wonder. While the defense has wavered in certain areas of the game, Bonitto’s play has been stellar off the edge.

According to PFF, Bonitto is the fourth-highest rated pass rusher in the league (90.7) behind Joey Bosa, Maliek Collins and Danielle Hunter. His 11 pressures are tied for the fourth-best mark in the league as well.

The league leaders in pressures entering Week 3 💥 pic.twitter.com/5XPufJ2rPB

— PFF (@PFF) September 18, 2025

Another important number to note is Bonitto’s pass rush win rate and how it stacks up against the rest of the competition. That number sits at 33.33% for him, by far the best rate in the league and one of just three players with a win rate over 30%. Any time he’s out on the field, he’s been a nightmare of a matchup for the opposing offensive line, and the tape has shown just how quickly he’s been getting to the quarterback.

This getoff is why Nik Bonitto makes $30M a year. He completely dominated in the clutch: pic.twitter.com/fhGuGfMfJC

— Swipa (@SwipaCam) September 7, 2025

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has emphasized multiple times that Bonitto’s bend and speed is what makes him special coming off the edge. So far this season, some of his reps have looked eerily similar to another Broncos edge rusher by the name of Von Miller who dominated games with the same two skills.

Bonitto will get a good opportunity to make a statement this weekend against the Chargers, as star offensive tackle Rashawn Slater is out for the season with a torn patellar tendon. Joe Alt, another star tackle, will still be on the field for Los Angeles at left tackle, but the Broncos will have plenty of opportunities to attack the injury-riddled right side of the line.

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