Trust is the secret sauce.
It remains the defining characteristic of the Broncos. It is why on Tuesday they gave their best player Pat Surtain II a $5 million raise before his new $96 million contract even kicked in.
He outperformed his deal, ownership recognized it, and rather than risk creating a rift or causing a holdout — something Surtain said he was not considering — the Broncos paid him closer to his worth.
Over the past two years, the Broncos have awarded nearly a half-billion dollars in contract extensions.
For this, they have earned praise and, um, threatened to undermine expectations. They change their cast of characters less than “Friends.”
Trust began defining the Broncos’ roster after co-owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner fired Nathaniel Hackett and hired Sean Payton.
What began this week with OTAs can end only in one place for this season to be a success: at SoFi Stadium in Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, 2027.
That would sure beat a box of overpriced chocolates.
Another ring is the expectation they put on themselves.
This is what happens after back-to-back playoff berths and a division title. And yet the Broncos followed an AFC Championship Game loss with an offseason of crickets chirping.
They took one big swing, acquiring receiver Jaylen Waddle.
The Patriots added A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
The Bills signed a battery of veterans, including old friend Bradley Chubb. The Ravens brought new coach Jesse Minter aboard, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and multiple depth pieces.
And the Rams went full arms race to dominate the Walton Christmas Day dinner conversation by trading for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett and two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Did the Broncos really do enough?
“I think we’ve got a great team all around,” Surtain said when I asked him that question. “So itap more than enough, honestly.”
It goes back to trust.
The Broncos view Team Retention as a solution. I have questions. At tight end in the passing game. At running back in the training room. At how they plan to maximize the return on investment with Jahdae Barron.
Can the Broncos take the next step without upgrading at certain positions? Denver tripled down on loyalty, keeping Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad, J.K. Dobbins, Adam Trautman, well, really everyone but John Franklin-Myers and P.J. Locke.
How is this going to work? The Broncos went so far on the field and made such improvement that anything less than a Super Bowl will be a disappointment.
But shouldn’t they have done more?
“We believe in each other. Love challenges,” cornerback Riley Moss said. “There are no complainers.”
Payton made clear when he arrived that he wanted players who loved football, were tough and lived to compete.
“And he’s done that. Now, we’ve had a year of winning where we got close,” linebacker Alex Singleton said last week. “Instead of trying to fix something that isn’t broken with new pieces. ….”
They kept the band together. There is a reason Mötley Crüe is still touring, right?
Continuity has only strengthened camaraderie and chemistry. No one has said it out loud yet, but we will hear it soon enough.
It is the Broncos vs. Everybody.
Now more than ever.
No one likes these players more than this GM, this coach, and, well, these players.
But is their confidence misguided? ESPN’s offseason power rankings placed the Broncos 15th behind six teams in the AFC alone. Their over-under for wins is 9.5
If the Broncos pull this off, they will cement their standing as one of the best teams in franchise history. If not, their static free agency will taint them as a collection of high-character guys who couldn’t finish the job without more outside help.
It was a huge risk by staying internal, save for Waddle.
So, again, how do the Broncos continue the climb against opponents who appear to be more all in?
It goes back to players like Surtain. To trust. “To a locker room with the same mentality and work ethic,” Moss said.
These types of statements roll eyes. But I have seen it work, most notably with the 2007 Rockies. Players who grew up in the minors, stayed together, were bonded by friendship and did the unthinkable because of the power of playing for each other.
That same kind of dynamic is at work here. The premise is simple, if not fraught with danger. That standing pat will allow them to move forward. Even Surtain.
“We haven’t seen his best yet,” said Pat Surtain, the star cornerback’s father, and former NFL stalwart, who attended PS2’s foundation Topgolf event that raised money to provide resources for students in financially disadvantaged communities. “We haven’t.”
Really? How so?
“What would happen if he is targeted more and gets like six interceptions?” the elder Surtain said.
Or is healthy. Surtain missed three games last season, the longest absence of his football career at any level, with a partially torn pectoral muscle. It was a remarkably fast recovery.
“It should have been season-ending,” Pops said. “But he came back.”
This is why the Broncos gave him a raise before he was due. Surtain is all in for the team.
Bo Nix is the face of the franchise. But Surtain is the best player, a future Hall of Famer. He knows what a title looks like, having won a national championship at Alabama in 2020.
Waddle was his teammate. That is where the confidence comes from when he believes the Broncos did enough.
Waddle will help Nix. And force teams to use more man coverage on Courtland Sutton.
Based on conversations with multiple players over the last month, they also believe Davis Webb will make the offense more explosive. It must be to survive an opening six-game gauntlet that smacks of cruel and unusual punishment.
“In order to reach the top you have to play the best and our schedule definitely says that,” Surtain said. “I am looking forward to it. That is the exciting part of the game. You have to prove yourself every year.”
No matter what happens in the opening two months, the Broncos will be good and remain a contender. But for this to work, they have to improve after an offseason where they were complacent.
“I am telling you,” Surtain said with a smile, “this is a special group.”
In other words, trust him.
