Exploring impact of Denver Broncos’ new $82 million decision

The Denver Broncos have taken some wild swings in the past few years. General Manager George Paton put it all on red by trading for Russell Wilson in 2022.

The Broncos were torched over the choice. Then, in 2023, the general manager went all-in on Sean Payton. Since getting the new head coach, the team has slowly risen from the bottom of the AFC to the middle.

They now have a shot at the playoffs in mid-December. Following the team’s decision to move on from Wilson, what had been a sea of flame has turned into sunshine and rainbows across much of the zeitgeist.

However, the Broncos are not done making big swings. While the last two were focused on bringing in people from outside, the most recent one was about keeping someone in-house.

Broncos OL sees huge investment

The Broncos decided to lock down their left tackle for the next four seasons. Garrett Bolles, often the focus of criticism early in his career, has now scored his second big deal, per Broncos beat reporter Zac Stevens on Twitter/X.

Bolles is now signed into his mid-30s with his new contract, which appears to wrap around age 36. At that point, Bolles will be of retirement age. However, depending on how the last couple of years go on the deal, he may be able to play until the doorstep of 40 as some linemen do.

State of Broncos OL

Per Stevens, the Broncos have invested roughly $68 million per season in their offensive line. In years past, the team had big questions on the offensive line. Now, at least when it comes to the Denver Broncos GM, he appears to have found his five.

However, not all five players are playing on veteran deals. Center Luke Wattenberg is making less than $1 million per season. That said, this is standard as the center is still playing on his rookie deal.

Bolles has earned an 88.7 pass blocking PFF grade, which is ranked fourth in the NFL. This has kept Bo Nix’s blind side clean, giving him confidence to stare down the field.

Guard Ben Powers has earned a 62.6 overall grade this season, helping keep Nix clean up the middle.

Quinn Meinerz, (AKA “the belly”) has earned an 85.0 overall grade as a guard, bolstering the interior of the line. Center Luke Wattenberg has also been productive early in his career on passing downs, earning a 79.6 PFF grade. Right tackle and former 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey is also sitting pretty, earning a 73.0 PFF grade.

Overall, the offensive line might be one of the strongest starting five linemen in the league. At least when it comes to Garrett Bolles, they have done their part to keep the unit strong into 2025 and beyond.