ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — All-Pro outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is back on the field and still unruffled by protracted negotiations on a contract extension.
Bonitto practiced Tuesday for the first time since having a bone spur removed from the top of his right foot last week following a spectacular preseason debut.
If all goes well, Bonitto will play Saturday at New Orleans in the Broncos’ final tune-up for their Sept. 7 opener against the Tennessee Titans.
Bonitto played a dozen snaps in the Broncos’ 30-9 win at San Francisco on Aug. 9 when he showed once again that a looming contract extension isn’t bothering him.
He sacked Mac Jones on first down, forced him to step into a sack by John Franklin-Meyers on second down and then forced him into an incompletion to avoid a 25-yard loss on third down.
“He did ruin that whole series,” said 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. “Bonitto is a hell of a player.”
Bonitto came up limping after his 12-snap debut, however, and a few days later he underwent surgery to remove the bone spur.
“It was just a thing that showed up in the 49ers (joint) practice” on Aug. 7, Bonitto said. “And it was kind of bothering me, bothering me, I was trying to fight through it in the game.”
Bonitto said he decided to heed the advice of coach Sean Payton and the Broncos’ medical staff and have the bone spur removed during camp rather than deal with it during the season.
“It was just something where we could either keep trying to fight through this throughout the season or have the procedure done and not worry about it,” Bonitto said.
Although he appeared to move around well at practice, Bonitto said he’s still on the mend.
A two-time All-American at Oklahoma and a second-round pick in 2023, Bonitto is in line for a big pay raise after his breakout 2024 season when he helped the Broncos lead the league with 63 sacks and go from 27th in points allowed in 2023 to third last year.
Bonitto set career highs with 48 tackles, 24 quarterback hits, 13 1/2 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three pass breakups, an interception and two defensive touchdowns. He earned a Pro Bowl berth and a second-team All-Pro selection.
The Broncos entered training camp with a trio of veterans in line for big contract extensions and they quickly got two of them done.
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton signed a four-year, $92 million deal and All-Pro defensive tackle Zach Allen signed a four-year, $102 million extension on Aug. 2.
Bonitto is still waiting for his big payday.
Negotiations are “going well,” he said. “I feel like there’s been good communication on both sides. I think it’s just my agent (Tory Dandy of CAA Football), I feel like he’s one of the best in the game. I feel like I gotta trust what he’s doing. And knowing how they feel about me upstairs, I feel like something will get done. It’s just a matter of when.”
Complicating the timeline is the unsigned status of Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson, last season’s sacks leader, and Dallas’ Micah Parsons, leaving the edge rusher market still in flux.
Bonitto demurred when asked if he preferred to wait for one of those deals to get done, and he said he doesn’t necessarily need to sign an extension before the start of the season.
“I mean, at the end of the day I’m still under contract for another year,” he said. “So, yeah, I would like to get the contract done, but that’s the least of my worries, honestly. I just want to compete for a championship this year, do all the things that we have set out to do as a team and as a defense.”
Asked what his goals for 2025 are, Bonitto said, “We want to have the No. 1 defense and as far as individual, just be better than last year.”
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