Broncos name nine captains for 2026 season

The Denver Broncos have their leadership team for the 2026 season, naming nine captains on Wednesday ahead of their Week 1 opener on Monday Night Football.

The captains, chosen by their teammates and announced by head coach Sean Payton following practice, reflect a level of continuity that has become a hallmark of the Payton era in Denver. The Broncos brought back all eight captains from a year ago and added one new face: safety and special teams standout Devon Key, who earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2025.

Broncos captains for 2026

Offense: QB Bo Nix, WR Courtland Sutton, RG Quinn Meinerz

Defense: CB Pat Surtain II, DL D.J. Jones, S Talanoa Hufanga, LB Alex Singleton

Special teams: K Wil Lutz, S Devon Key

HC Sean Payton has announced our 2026 captains as chosen by the players. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/0jWwJfHkyB

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 9, 2026

Sutton leads the group with six consecutive seasons as a team captain, the longest active streak on the roster. Nix, Meinerz, Surtain and Singleton are all captains for a third straight year, while Lutz also returns for his third go-round. Jones and Hufanga were each voted captains for a second consecutive season.

Key is the lone newcomer. The safety carved out a reputation as one of the NFL’s premier special teams contributors last season.

What role will the nine play? Payton shared on Wednesday what captains do for the Broncos.

“I think it’s a sign of just the leadership in the locker room,” the head coach said. “I don’t have a council meeting with them, for instance, every two or three weeks, but I think it’s just a recognition of, you know, how they’re seen by their peers, and they all lead differently. And there’s a number of guys that are going to be significant leaders for us that aren’t wearing a patch. So I think the first thing is just being authentic and being yourself.”

The announcement comes as the Broncos prepare for a marquee season opener: a Monday Night Football trip to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 14 (6:15 p.m. MT, ABC/ESPN). The game marks the anticipated return of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who blew out his knee in Week 15 last December. Denver enters as a 2.5-point road underdog.

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