Nik Bonitto named as AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Nik Bonitto got his well-deserved pay day right before the Broncos’ regular season kicked off. In the five games he’s played since then, he’s made it seem silly that he’s only the 10th-highest paid edge rusher in the NFL with his historic start to the season. On Wednesday, his start only got hotter, as he was named as the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

Wreaked havoc in Philly. 💪

Congratulations to @nikkkkbonitto on being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career! pic.twitter.com/zI0iHGbhJW

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 8, 2025

He is the first Bronco to be named as a Player of the Week this season, and ninth Broncos linebacker in team history to get the nod — the first since Cody Barton did so in Week 7 last year.

Bonitto tallied 2.5 sacks, four total tackles (two for loss) and three quarterback hits in Sunday’s big upset over the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. He did not make any friends in the City of Brotherly Love, as he hit the Philly fanbase with a ‘Fly Eagles Fly’ celebration after one of his sacks on Jalen Hurts.

Nik Bonitto with the sack and a Fly Eagles Fly??? pic.twitter.com/X09uEuDgvh

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 5, 2025

Bonitto leads the NFL in sacks (7.0) and pressures this session (31). He’s currently on pace to finish the year with 24 sacks, a mark that would break the current NFL record of 24, held by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021). His seven sacks are the second-most through five games in Broncos history (Elvis Dumervil had 8.0 in 2009), and he became the fourth Bronco in franchise history — the first since Von Miller —  to record multiple sacks in three straight games.

Every single time Bonitto makes a play, it seems that he hits a historic milestone. He has quickly leapt up from being some random second-round pick all the way to being a true candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. He is currently tied with the third-best odds to bring a second consecutive DPOY to Denver, behind Aidan Hutchinson and Micah Parsons, and tied with Myles Garrett.

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