The Denver Broncos have decided the future of their franchise starts with their defense, which has shown it’s one of the best in the NFL in 2024.
The latest evidence of this came when ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news the team had signed edge rusher Jonathon Cooper to a 4-year, $60 million contract extension with $33 million guaranteed before a Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on November 3.
“Per source: the Broncos signed emerging pass rusher Jonathon Cooper to a four-year contract extension over the weekend,” Schefter wrote on his official X account on November 4. “Cooper has 5.5 sacks in nine games for the Broncos. Denver locks up Cooper while securing a sixth-round pick from Arizona for free agent-to-be Baron Browning.”
On October 2, Sports Illustrated’s Bob Morris projected Cooper might be in line for a 3-year, $56 million contract extension with $35 million guaranteed.
Morris used the 3-year, $51 million contract Bryce Huff signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency in March 2024 as the template for Cooper’s potential deal.
Cooper was in the final season of a 4-year, $3.58 million contract he signed with the Broncos after he was selected in the seventh round (No. 238 overall) in the 2021 NFL draft.
“If Cooper continues to play at his current level, a three-year, $56M deal with $35M guaranteed would be reasonable,” Morris wrote. “If the Broncos get a deal done during the season, they could consider an option bonus for 2025 to lower his cap number that year, but it’s not absolutely necessary.”
Cooper Created Separation With College Teammate
Cooper was one of two edge rusher out of Ohio State selected in the 2021 draft alongside Browning, who the Broncos took in the third round (No. 105 overall). News broke of Browning’s trade right before news broke of Cooper’s new contract.
“He signed the deal at the team hotel before Sunday’s game against Baltimore,” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel wrote on X. “Nice lock up for Denver. Cooper’s been a quality player for multiple years now.”
This isn’t the first season Browning has shown he’s an elite NFL player. He had career highs of 72 tackles, 55 QB pressures and a team-leading 8.5 sacks in 2023, when he started all 17 games.
Broncos Spent Big on Future of Defense
The Broncos are investing big in the future of their defense. In the last 2 months, they’ve invested $156 million in 2 contracts following the 4-year, $96 million contract extension NFL All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II signed on September 4.
Cooper would have been one of the most sought-after free agents in the NFL if the Broncos hadn’t signed him to an extension when they did. You can make an argument that signing Cooper at this point might have saved the Broncos a tremendous amount of money.
Were Cooper to close out the final half of the season in the same fashion he played the first half of the season — specifically ending up with a double-digit sack total — the price on him in free agency could have reasonably gone up significantly.
It’s reasonable to think Cooper might have ended up with a deal worth between $70-$80 million had he chose to enter free agency.
