Broncos Journal: What would extension values look like for Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, Courtland Sutton?

The Palm Beach sun smiled down on the Broncos brass in late March the organization s decision-makers plenty cheery at owners meetings in Florida because they had no reason for anything else Head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton had put together a free-agency plan owner Greg Penner noted then and executed it Safety tight end linebacker In came Talanoa Hufanga In came Evan Engram Linebacker Robert Spillane who a source disclosed the Broncos made a competitive offer to ended up with the Patriots the Broncos still nabbed standout Dre Greenlaw Things went off without much of a hitch and deep into May depending on your outlook on Denver s offensive weaponry it s hard to find fault with any aspect of the Broncos dealings this offseason That all declared the toughest offseason expansion for Denver over the past sparse months might ve been a utterly unrelated signing miles east Meet -year-old Milton Williams a former Philadelphia Eagle perhaps the biggest beneficiary of a defensive-line free agent class fairly light on top-heavy talent After the Patriots extended DL Christian Barnmore in to a four-year deal worth million annually Williams group set his free-agency floor at million per year And as a perfect storm converged between the Eagles Super Bowl run Williams production and age and a previously inflated industry Williams signed a monster four-year million deal with the Patriots In various strategies Williams deal and other signings created a complicated sector for the Broncos They ll be confronted with a heap of questions around defensive-line extensions in the coming months Circumstances are certainly different and free agents typically command more money in open waters than in negotiations with one franchise But it d be intricate to justify say handing second-team All-Pro Zach Allen less money annually than Williams If I m representing Zach yeah I m gonna try to get him more one league source stated The Post In Allen receiver Courtland Sutton and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto the Broncos have three stars on expiring deals who could command upwards of million a year Cornerback Pat Surtain II and tackle Garett Bolles are already locked up on similar long-term deals And if Denver wants to keep all Penner will have to crack open the checkbook Only four NFL teams Detroit San Francisco Philadelphia and Tampa Bay in the present have five or more players making million or more annually The Post reviewed a slew of relevant latest contracts and spoke with several league sources to look at area value for Allen Sutton and Bonitto Here s a breakdown of a meager deals information from Spotrac among players with somewhat similar profiles Zach Allen DE DL Name Age Squad Year Contract Games Sacks Pressures TFLS Zach Allen Broncos TBD TBD Maxx Crosby Raiders yrs m Chris Jones Chiefs yrs m Milton Williams Patriots FA yrs m Jonathan Greenard Vikings FA yrs m Chase Young Saints FA yrs m All figures tied to contract year Click here to view chart in mobile Allen s value is the hardest to pinpoint factoring in a fairly inconsistent realm for defensive linemen and the breadth of his abilities to play both from the interior and off the edge He also made a massive leap in relative to previous seasons Still he was one of the best pass-rushers in the league and is still fairly young entering his age- season in Young just commanded million a year from the Saints and wasn t nearly as effective at stopping the run or smacking opposing quarterbacks as Allen last year Jones extension in a perennial All-Pro on the interior set the floor in chosen techniques for defensive tackle Williams extension at million per year too as Williams agent Rick Roberts described The Post It s likely any extension for Allen despite operating as a DE would have the same baseline Nik Bonitto OLB Name Age Organization Year Contract Games Sacks Pressures TFLs Nik Bonitto Broncos TBD TBD Brian Burns Giants yrs m Andrew Van Ginkel Vikings yr m Greg Rousseau Bills yrs m Josh Sweat Cardinals FA yrs m Jonathon Cooper Broncos yrs m All figures tied to contract year Click here to view chart in mobile The realm for outside linebackers is more straightforward but Bonitto enters in an captivating spot Still young at coming off arguably a more productive season than any modern OLB around his age who signed an extension or free-agent deal Rousseau is ostensibly the best comp here as a former high draft pick Rousseau first-round Bonitto second-round He signed an extension after his fourth year Bonitto s fourth year is upcoming at the same age If the Broncos wait on extending Bonitto though and he racks up another heap of sacks in his value could break through the roof Courtland Sutton WR Name Age Gang Year Contract Games Rec -Yds-TD Courtland Sutton Broncos TBD TBD - - DK Metcalf Steelers FA yrs m - - Michael Pittman Colts yrs m - - Calvin Ridley Titans FA yrs m - - Chris Godwin Buccaneers yrs m - - Stefon Diggs Patriots FA yrs m - - All figures tied to contract year Click here to view chart in mobile Related Articles Broncos depth chart Sizing up Sean Payton s company as OTAs begin Broncos preseason opener at San Francisco has kickoff date and time Broncos Mailbag RJ Harvey s rookie of the year campaign and more Way Too Early predictions Broncos lone home preseason match has a date and kickoff time Former Saints scout sees Broncos Pat Bryant as versatile fit in Sean Payton s offense He s a dog Sutton s value is the easiest to project with a fairly ready-made comparison in Godwin who inked a free-agent deal worth million annually in after posting nearly identical numbers in to Sutton last year His value would likely sink lower in negotiating solely with Denver Pittman s extension when the -year-old signed for million annually after a -catch season is a solid reference point The receiver industry though has exploded in new years The ers Brandon Aiyuk coming off a -yard season in inked an extension worth million annually The Bengals Ja Marr Chase arguably the best wideout in the league just re-upped with Cincinnati for million a year And Sutton sits in a fluid space on the fringes of presenting a resume as a WR I ll put it this way a league source stated The Post speaking on WR deals million- million is the new million- million Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis