Patrick Surtain II's Record Contract Has Other NFL Cornerbacks Giddy
The headlines are blaring that Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II has agreed to a new contract that simply resets the market at his position with its whopping numbers.
The numbers: A four-year extension worth $96 million.
The deal includes $77.5 million in guaranteed money.
So, Surtain, about to start his fourth NFL season, is officially the highest-paid cornerback in the history of the game.
He's averaging $24 million per season on an annual average basis. And that blows away the past extension Green Bay's Jaire Alexander signed in 2022, which pays $21 million per season on an annual average basis.
So that's the news. But there's another chapter to this story, and that's the repercussions this deal will have.
Surtain Deal Makes CBs More Expensive
Simply, when any player breaks the contract ceiling for his position, his unit (offense or defense) or the entire league (as mostly quarterbacks do), it sets a goal for others to meet or break.
So everybody gets happy because … more money!!!!!
Remember when Jalen Hurts became the NFL's highest paid player averaging $51 million per season? That was the spring of 2023.
And today Hurts is the eighth-highest paid quarterback in the NFL. Hurts set the target and a bunch of guys – Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert among them – hit the bullseye by beating his numbers.
Well, Surtain is the cornerback equivalent of what Hurts was in the spring of 2023. And other cornerbacks are giddy he got paid.
Other Cornerbacks Aim For Surtain
Why the shared happiness? Because it means they could also get paid.
So who is going to come looking for a better deal to beat the one Surtain is about to sign?
Think Sauce Gardner of the Jets, Derek Stingley Jr. of the Texans, and eventually Devon Witherspoon of the Seahawks, and Christian Gonzalez of the Patriots.
The likely next one of these is Gardner, who was selected in the 2022 draft and is eligible for an extension next offseason.
He is already a two-time Pro Bowl selection but is not the highest paid cornerback on his own team because he's still under his rookie agreement.
Dec 28, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) during the second half during the first half at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Sauce Gardner Is Next
Gardner will almost certainly beat Surtain's deal.
But merely beating the deal is apparently not Gardner's goal. He recently appeared on Good Morning Football around the time Tyreek Hill restructured his contract with guarantees that make his deal truly worth $30 million per season.
"I'm trying to get that," Gardner said.
So $30 million per season is the goal. And that would certainly dwarf the deal Surtain just got.
But $30 million?
Feb 2, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide reliever Tyreek Hill (10) and New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) participate in the AFC versus NFC Pro Bowl practice and media day at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Sauce Gardner Price Will Be Steep
One supposes the argument could be made that if Hill can get $30 million per season to catch passes for the Miami Dolphins, Gardner could earn that much to keep Hill from catching passes as he plays for the division rival Jets.
The Jets could obviously counter that Gardner doesn't score TDs as proficiently or often as someone like Hill.
So that negotiation will be interesting for a team that has had some interesting approaches to contract extensions this season.
Stingley is a candidate to perhaps equal Surtain's deal, while Witherspoon, a Pro Bowl player as a rookie last season, also is certain to surpass Surtain around 2026.
The fact is Witherspoon will probably be aiming for Gardner's deal rather than Surtain's.
And, as long as we're looking way down the road, Gonzalez should be on the hunt for a seismic deal as well. His rookie season was cut short by injury at a time he was distinguishing himself as an outstanding cover cornerback.
If he picks up where he left off the next couple of seasons, he's going to get paid.
Probably more than Patrick Sutain II.