Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos, Garett Bolles Agree To Four Year Contract Extension

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos and head coach Sean Payton, they are building the foundation for this team around Bow Nix by locking in Garibals to a four-year contract extension. We'll tell you why this sheds light on the Broncos philosophy, not just this year, but in years going forward here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What's happening in Broncos country? Welcome into another episode, Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown podcast network where you know it is your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:42 Thank you so much to all the everydayers and the first listeners out there in Broncos country. Thanks for tuning in and making us part of your day every single day. We know you got you covered every single day all year long, whether there's regular news or breaking news, as that will be the case here on today's episode of the show. I'm Cody Rourke. Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports and Broncos offensive tackle, Garrett Bulls,

Starting point is 00:01:02 We'll be staying in the Mile High City for the next four seasons. We'll talk about really how the Broncos Foundation is really kind of formulating itself here with George Payton and Sean Payton. The Broncos brain chest as they look to build the foundation here around Boe Nix. Garrett Bulls is a big part of that. But obviously, we'll kick things off by highlighting the big news of the day. The breaking news, Garrett Bulls will be in Denver through at least 2028 after agreeing to terms on a four-year extension. Break the down all on today's episode of the show here. country, let's get into it.

Starting point is 00:01:34 Now, normally in the industry of, you know, sports media, everyone's trying to figure, okay, hey, what's going on? You know, is there going to be any movement here from the Broncos with four games left in the regular season? Are they going to make any more contract extensions because free agency is coming up? And we don't know what the clear picture is going to be just yet for the Broncos as it pertains to next year's salary cap numbers. I know that number has not yet been officially released by the NFL.

Starting point is 00:01:59 That was a subject of some of the December owners meetings that were. ongoing last week, but no official number just yet. So the Broncos trying to get ahead of that here because Garrett Bulls was set to become an unrestricted free agent. And there were a lot of questions as to whether or not he was going to return. Now, Garrett made it very clear here this off season. The first time he spoke to us during the OTA period. He expressed that the ball is in the Broncos court.

Starting point is 00:02:24 He wants to stay a Bronco for life. He would love to remain in Denver. I think there were a lot of questions, I think, earlier on the off season, know about whether or not he would be back considering his cap hit for this final year of his deal and all the changes that Denver was making moving on from Russell Wilson moving on from Justin Simmons. We had all thought that, okay, hey, Garib Bulls will probably be next at this point. But what are the Broncos going to do at left tackle? That potential scenario never came to fruition, which is a good thing because I think in hindsight, as we look at where the Broncos stand right now at 8 and 5, they drafted a rookie quarterback that internally they believe is the franchise of,

Starting point is 00:03:00 their future. And I think another thing, too, that we're going to look at here. Walsley talked about it on the show is how the Broncos are building around Bo Nix and that philosophy here. But Garibu's getting a well-deserved contract extension here from the Broncos four years, a deal that is worth $81, $82 million, and you're going to get guarantees to report up to $41.9 million in total. I saw something out there as well that he can make up to $86 million, essentially. So it's 82 with a chance to go up to $80,000. I think that's probably based on incentives if the team makes the playoffs. If he gets all pro, pro both some of those things get worked into the contract.

Starting point is 00:03:38 We'll find out details around that later. But the Broncos locking up one of their important pieces on the offensive line here on Thursday. Garrett announcing the news himself on social media. But I think we had to take a look at this from the 30,000 foot view here for the Broncos and why this was the decision that the team had made here for Garrett Bulls. we just talked about it a couple episodes ago here on lockdown Broncos about how is the team going to approach this off season in terms of free agency, who would you resign?

Starting point is 00:04:10 Sarah and I, we both agreed that, hey, you have to find a way to bring back Garrett Bulls because he's playing at a high level right now. And I think the thing that you stand out, look, one sack allowed on the season, but Garrett has just been steady. I mean,

Starting point is 00:04:23 since he suffered that major leg injury, he's come back with a little bit of a vengeance. and he's played terrifically well here for the Broncos at left tackle. You know, you look at two weeks in a row where you're facing Max Crosby one week. You're facing Miles Garrett the next week. And those guys don't get a single sack. It's a product of, think, what Garrett has done, how well the offensive line has done in past protection here. But it also sheds a little bit of light as to the fact that the Broncos really believe in the trenches.

Starting point is 00:04:51 That's something as Sean Payton and George Payton have said from the onset is that this game. And in this league, games are one in a lot. lost inside the trenches, whether it be on the offensive side of the ball, whether that be on the defensive side of the ball, the Broncos have revamped both of those areas in the last year and a half year. And now you're seeing it really kind of paid dividends. So now, instead of going into 2025 free agency saying, hey, like, Garrett wants to stay a Bronco, but now he's going to get interest from some other teams that are going to be in need because it's hard to come across tackles in the NFL. Good ones don't normally hit the free agency market. And for the Broncos,

Starting point is 00:05:23 that's also proven to be true because they did not let Garrett hit free agency. here. And I think we even had a couple of ideas thrown around that. Okay, hey, like if the Broncos do not bring Garrett back, what does that look like? Do they ask Mike McGlitchie to switch from right tackle to left? And then they put Alex Paucheski at right tackle. To me, it didn't seem like a gamble that I feel like the Broncos or Sean Peyton or George Peyton would want to make there. We even throw out the hypothetical if the Broncos were to draft an offensive tackle

Starting point is 00:05:49 in round one, would you really want Bo Nix, your rookie quarterback who the team internally believes, as I mentioned, is the franchise guy for them. Do you want a second year quarterback having a rookie left tackle in today's age of pass rushers and how it is? It's a hard risk to take. And certainly I think you can make the financial argument for it. But right now, the Broncos don't seem to care about that. They're finding ways to navigate and maneuver here and really build this offense in the trenches. And I think the one thing that stands out, too, about the offensive line.

Starting point is 00:06:20 Now with Garrett Bulls contract extension, you've got obviously Garrett, you've got Ben Powers, you've got Quinn Miners, and Mike McGlinchy all locked in here on the offensive line through 2025 and through 2026. Essentially the only player who's not locked in past this year at past 2025 is Luke Wattenberg, who's the starting center right now. Obviously, his rookie deal will be coming up at some point as well. So Denver is really investing in, hey, our two guards and our two, you know, on the left side, our two guards on the right side are important. Obviously, the center position is very important here.

Starting point is 00:06:54 I'm very curious to see how the offense continues to grow here. Obviously, with Zach Streif remaining on as the offensive line coach right now, Denver's in a good position with their personnel, and I think that they like the backups that they have behind them with Alex Forsyth at center, Alex Pouchesky as an offensive tackle backup, and they like the developmental traits of undraft a rookie free agent, Frank Crum. They still have Cam Fleming right now in the practice squad. They have Matt Pairt on the active roster,

Starting point is 00:07:21 and Matt Paird has done a very solid job this season. He's been the Broncos jumpball offensive tackle. So really part of it is, hey, we're going to protect our quarterback. The internal belief is we have a quarterback who protects the football, doesn't take sacks, gets rid of it, but we also have an offensive line that can do a really good job of protecting him. This is a great move here for the Broncos to help solidify the foundation of what is going to be the future of this team around Bo Nix.

Starting point is 00:07:45 And it starts with protecting your quarterbacks. And we understand with the ebb and flow and the changes of today's game, you're going to have other needs that will pop up. and you may have to ignore some things just because you can't financially afford, I think, to pay for every need that you have. But that's where you really invest in your development on the back end from your practice squad, from players who aren't necessarily, you know, who are on the active roster, but don't get the chance to be activated or active on Sunday.

Starting point is 00:08:10 Player development has been a big thing here for George Payton, for Sean Payton. And now you have your starters locked in for a good portion of the next handful of years. And then after that, it's like, hey, if we have to make. make a decision to move on. Are the guys that we have behind them, have they developed enough to be able to thrust them into that role? I think that's the idea and the thinking here for the Broncos as they move forward here. But Broncos, country, we want to know what you think here on today's bonus breaking news

Starting point is 00:08:36 episode, Locked on Broncos, Garibals, locked into a four-year contract extension, $82 million, $82 million, $41.9 million in guarantees. Was this the right move for the Broncos? Make sure you let us know on Lockdown Broncos. One thing we are going to discuss here on today's bonus episode of the show is how the vision for building this team under George Peyton and Sean Peyton is starting to formulate itself. And what can we expect next as we talk about team building? Even though there's four weeks left in the season here, if they're making this move here with

Starting point is 00:09:05 Garrett Bulls, could Cortland Sutton be next? We'll break that down and much more here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's Lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to you by friends over there at the GameTime app. And look, if you want to go check out this weekend's game where the Denver Broncos is going to host the Indianapolis Colts. Game time is the place to be. and you can get the best seats available with their new feature called Game Time Picks. And Game Time Picks that filters out the fluff to show you only the incredible deals that are going on right now with great seats.

Starting point is 00:09:32 So you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets. It finds the best seat, the best value, the best deal, and it delivers it directly to you where you can go see your favorite events. Whether it's a sporting event, comedy, theater, music, and more, they have everything inside of the Game Time app. Now, while I obviously love the Game Time Picks feature, I also love the game time picks feature, I also love the, seat views where I can actually see based on where the seat is at that I'm going to, whether it's the Broncos game, whether it's so a Metallica concert this summer, I can see exactly what my vantage point of the experience is going to be like inside of the app. That's with the GameTime app.

Starting point is 00:10:05 So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code locked on NFL for $20 off off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code locked on NFL for $20 off. Download game time today. What time is it? game time. It's also time to tell you this show is also brought to you by our friends over there at Fandu.

Starting point is 00:10:25 And as you all know, Fandu was America's number one sportsbook and they want you to get ready to tackle week 15 of the NFL season all inside of their app, especially for new customers. Because if you're a brand new customer right now, you can start the season with a big return. When you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats. You can view live play by play

Starting point is 00:10:45 and so much more on the same exact page where you place your bet. So if you're watching the Broncos game against the Colts, this week and there's a hunch develop. The Broncos has some rhythm going. You can go in and live bet or if you want to place a bet on the Broncos on the money line, you want to bet on them to cover the spread against the Colts. Certainly you can do that all inside the app and you will get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet.

Starting point is 00:11:11 So sign up as a new customer here today. Place a $5 bet. And if it wins, you will get $200 in bonus bets, guaranteed all on the Fandulis sportsbook app. So make sure you check it out today. Fanduil.com. Once again, that's Fandul. com.

Starting point is 00:11:26 Never waste a hunch and make every moment more worth Fandul an official sportsbook partner of the National Football League. As we continue on today's breaking news, bonus episode of Lockdown. Broncos are going to highlight a little bit about the foundation and the vision that George Payton and Sean Payton have kind of outlined here with building this team.

Starting point is 00:11:43 Also looking at a couple of moves that the team could make here next, maybe even in season, maybe right after the season. We're going to have our eyes on that. I just want to say thanks once again to all the everydayers out there in Broncos country. Everyone who makes us your first listen, thank you so much. We appreciate you here in Broncos country. All right. So now with Garrett Bulls locked in.

Starting point is 00:12:01 We talked about it in the previous segment. The entire offensive line is locked in through 2025, minus the exception there of Luke Wattenberg, whose rookie deal will be expiring here very shortly. So with that said, what does this tell us about how George Peyton and Sean Peyton are trying to build this team? Okay. Well, they've had every opportunity, right, to, to, to, make some moves. They traded away Jerry Judy in the off season before they had Bo Nix, but they go out, they draft a quarterback that they believe can be the guy for them, right?

Starting point is 00:12:28 Bo Nix has certainly grown. He's elevated this team. He's elevated the offense in a lot of different ways in this locker room have really rallied behind him. I see it every day when I'm there. I see the way that these guys talk about him in the locker room to us. They're big Boe levers here, just like I think a lot of people in Broncos country are here. But for the most part as well, it's like, okay, how is this roster? How is this offense starting to shape out in the vision of Sean Payton and George Payton. They're very much aligned on a lot of the things that we talk about here in terms of we need stability, we need a foundation.

Starting point is 00:12:59 And I think that's the number one word we're going to talk about is Sean Payton wants to build a foundation for this team. And it starts in the trenches on offense. It starts in the trenches on defense. So for the offense, when you have a rookie quarterback, you have to do whatever you can to protect him and give him opportunities to stay upright so he can produce and continue to showcase whether or not he is or isn't the guy for you.

Starting point is 00:13:19 and all signs point to the fact that he is the guy right now but what about the pieces around right offensive line is super important but what about the skill players cordon sutton right now obviously in the off season they found a way to to bump up his incentives this season and if the broncos make the playoffs i think if i'm not mistaken it gets around 500k we'll have to take a look at that just for confirmation someone bring it up in the comments or also on social media but they wanted to keep courtland sutton in here and i had a chance last week when i was hosting k-oey sports with ryan edwards and Dave Logan, we had a chance to talk with Ian Rappaport. And I asked Ian Rappaport about whether or not the Broncos,

Starting point is 00:13:53 is there interest in them potentially coming to terms on an extension with Cortland Sutton? He said the interest between the two parties would seem mutual because the Broncos, over the last three years, have had a handful of teams call and try to trade for Cortland Sutton and some aggressive offers in which the Broncos have said, hey, we're not looking to part ways with Cortland. Sean Payton believes in his size, his skill set. And as we've seen, he's approaching a potential career high year here with just four, games remaining on the season five touchdowns on the year.

Starting point is 00:14:21 He and Bo Nix's connection have been special. So with that, you have a guy in Cortland Sutton who's locked in. You draft a couple of the rookies. You draft Troy Franklin, who's got legit speed. You draft Marvin Mims last year at the back end around two because he's got legit speed, weaponized threat status to him. And then you have a little Jordan Humphrey. And as a veteran guy who Sean Payton trusts is like, hey, this is a guy who can

Starting point is 00:14:41 block well in the perimeter for me. He does the little things well. There's obviously areas he can continue to grow and improve. but then you also have a rookie in Devon Bailey who is certainly accelerated in his development here with the Broncos as the number two receiver big body guy, good catch radius has the ability to catch in traffic. It's like, all right now you got a rookie quarterback. You have a locked in offensive line. You have a veteran wide receiver who at this point, I think we can also talk about the fact that for Cortland,

Starting point is 00:15:07 probably an extension will be coming his way here either this season or in the off season. Next year will be the final year of his deal. So it could even go into that. but Cortland is a guy, I think the Broncos want to tie in for a while. Okay, so now you got the veteran guy there as your wide receiver won. You got Marvin Mims, who has come on as of late. You've got Troy Franklin, who certainly has traits to be very special. And he's continuing to get more comfortable within the system,

Starting point is 00:15:32 and he's starting to do a little bit more. We want to see the deep shock be connected upon here at some point, but they're going to work him a little bit in the short intermediate game because of his speed, his yard after, there's a catchability there. And then you have Devon Bailey, who's become a little bit of a reliable possession, and move the chains type of guy for you. And then you got some developmental guys like A.T. Perry on the back end.

Starting point is 00:15:50 So realistically, the Broncos philosophy is to draft players and to develop them. Or you can identify players and maybe teams misplaced or like mismanaged. The situation or environment for them wasn't right. I look at A.T. Perry is one of those guys that, hey, he wasn't being used the right way in New Orleans. And certainly Cody Rager, who's on staff here, understands and knows a little bit about him. Pete Carmichael, who's on Peyton's staff, knows a little bit about A.T. Perry. So it's like, hey, we can find a way to make this guy into something that we believe can impact here. So now I think this changes the Broncos plans of, okay, now you're just going to roll with the young wide receivers.

Starting point is 00:16:25 You're going to lock in your veteran guy. You may add one or two guys. It's certainly a possibility here. You may add a playmate. You may try to make a push in free agency for a guy that's going to be available. But primarily, I think the focus here now shifts to tight end for the Broncos and to running back here. Javante Williams contract is going to expire after this season. You're going to have Jolulu McLaughlin.

Starting point is 00:16:43 You still have Audrake Estime. You have Tyler Badegh, and you also have Blake Watson, who are still on your roster? So are you building and going forward with some of these younger guys? Are we going to look to add pieces in free agency or the NFL draft? The tight end position is certainly very interesting as well? Do you draft a guy? Is there a free agent in particular that would come in and add a boost that the Broncos don't currently have? Are you going to stay the course with developing a guy like Lucas Crowell?

Starting point is 00:17:07 You have Donald Parham Jr. in the practice squad. Right now, I think the vision is very clear here for this Broncos team. draft, develop, and accelerate it as much as you can. The Broncos, they're maximizing the window they have. They have a quarterback on a rookie contract, an offensive line that's got guys locked up a little bit. They're looking to go and make a run here. And if you're Broncos country, these next four games are going to be crucial for the team. With that said, Broncos country, that I wrap up today's bonus episode breaking new show here on today's episode of Locked on Broncos.

Starting point is 00:17:37 For all you every dayers, make sure you check out the crossover episode, Sarah Bedinger did it with Locked on Colts. Tomorrow's episode of the show, one thing we're going to dive deeper into is key matchups. Matchups that we have our eyes on that are going to define the outcome of the game, bold predictions, and which more. Make sure you share yours here. Lockdown Broncos wherever you get your podcast. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos, Garett Bolles Agree To Four Year Contract Extension

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.