Although Justin Simmons will be in Denver on Sunday as a member of the visiting Falcons, the decorated safety’s March release made Garett Bolles the longest-tenured Bronco. A lack of substantive extension talks threatens to move that distinction to another player soon.
Bolles has expressed an interest in a third Broncos contract, but he remains attached to the four-year, $68MM deal agreed to during the 2020 season. The eighth-year left tackle did agree to his current extension in November 2020, during his lone All-Pro campaign, but plenty has changed about the Broncos in the years since. The GM that drafted Bolles (John Elway) is gone, with the subsequent honcho (George Paton) seeing his power curbed thanks to Sean Payton‘s 2023 arrival. This all leaves Bolles with a cloudy Colorado future.
The Broncos have reached extensions with three 2021 draftees this year, coming to terms with Quinn Meinerz, Patrick Surtain and Jonathon Cooper over the past four months. Bolles, however, is expected to play out his second contract this season, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. While Denver passed on trading Bolles before his contract year and would still have exclusive negotiating rights with its longtime LT in the weeks before the legal tampering period, a separation would move closer to a reality if Bolles finishes the season unsigned.
Bolles is 32 despite being a 2017 draftee, which would stand to affect his market to some degree. That said, the Utah alum wants to play at least a few more seasons. He has been seeking a Broncos extension since before 2024. Bolles became the longest-serving Broncos left tackle this season, hitting Year 8 to surpass Ryan Clady (who missed all of the 2015 season).
Denver used Russell Okung as a stopgap upon trading Clady to the Jets in 2016 but drafted Bolles 20th overall in 2017. The investment delivered some choppy waters early, thanks to Bolles’ holding penchant, but he has stabilized himself into a solid option at the premier O-line position.
After a broken leg ended Bolles’ 2022 season five games in, he has returned to play in all 27 Broncos contests since. Pro Football Focus slotted Bolles 19th in 2023 and has him 14th among all tackles this season. He checks in as a top-15 player in both ESPN’s pass block and run block win rate, sitting 14th in pass pro and sixth on the ground. Avoiding a serious injury should stand to deliver Bolles a strong third contract, with the question then being whether it will come from…