Sports
Bonitto now top-paid non-QB in Broncos history
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and the Denver Broncos reached agreement Thursday on a four-year, $106 million extension that includes $70 million guaranteed, Athletes First announced.
The deal can be worth up to $120 million if Bonitto reaches incentives in the contract negotiated by agent Tory Dandy, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal will run through the 2029 season and makes Bonitto the highest-paid non-quarterback in Broncos franchise history.
Nik Bonitto signs a 4-year, $106M extension with the @Broncos making him the highest-paid defensive player in Broncos history ‼️🐴
Deal negotiated by @ToryDandy of Athletes First. pic.twitter.com/vr7mfZXajy
— Athletes First (@AthletesFirst) September 4, 2025
Turns out Bonitto is just as good at predictions as he is at chasing down quarterbacks. Bonitto, who was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next March, said less than three weeks ago that he expected a new deal to get done.
Bonitto’s deal essentially completes the offseason trifecta for the Broncos, who have signed wide receiver Courtland Sutton (four years, $92 million), defensive lineman Zach Allen (four years, $102 million) and now Bonitto to long-term extensions since training camp opened.
The Broncos, including general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton, and Bonitto have consistently expressed optimism that a deal would get done for their second-round pick of the 2022 draft (64th overall).
Bonitto, 25, has steadily moved himself into the conversation regarding the NFL’s most impactful edge players. He was a second-team All-Pro last season and earned his first Pro Bowl selection while leading the Broncos with 13.5 sacks, part of Denver’s league-leading 63.
He also finished with career bests in tackles (48) and quarterback hits (24) while scoring touchdowns on an interception return and a fumble return. Denver’s coaches also said Bonitto played the run better than ever last season.
It’s the continuation of a career arc that has seen him develop from a 1.5-sack season as a rookie, when he played 357 snaps, to the high-end disrupter who made the most of his 708 snaps in 2024.
“I felt like I made it almost until the end of season last year, and then I started to see more chips, a few more double-teams,” Bonitto said as the preseason drew to a close. “I sort of expect people to take that approach right away this year. Which is good, look at our defense, more attention anywhere is less attention somewhere else … we just all will make plays.”
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has called Bonitto “a special player” in the pass rush who is still ascending.
Bonitto had a bone spur removed from his foot during training camp, so he did not play in the Broncos’ last two preseason games. He did show all of what he has to offer in a 12-play stint in the preseason opener, however. In a three-play span against the San Francisco 49ers — 88 seconds of game time — Bonitto had a sack, a near sack that forced 49ers quarterback Mac Jones to step up into a sack by John Franklin-Myers, and a heated pursuit that resulted in Jones throwing the ball away to avoid a 25-yard loss.
Bonitto said in recent weeks that he had arrived for the Broncos’ offseason program in April about eight pounds heavier than last season because he wanted to test how he felt in his movements in drills. He liked what he saw and how he moved, and he said he arrived at training camp at around 248 pounds.
“I tried it in the spring when we worked because I wanted to see how it felt,” Bonitto said. “I was still quick, so I’ve kept it there throughout camp so far. That and I’ve looked at the film, see how guys around the league deal with all of the chips and double-teams. I know it’s coming.”
Pakistan left-arm spinner Noman Ali completed 100 Test wickets, becoming the oldest player in history to reach the milestone during the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
He claimed the milestone by dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz, joining an elite group of Pakistan bowlers and becoming the ninth spinner and 20th overall to achieve the feat.
The left-arm spinner also picked up the crucial wickets of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and Taijul Islam.
At 39 years and 217 days, Noman became the oldest player in Test history to reach the 100-wicket milestone. He surpassed former England spinner Bobby Peel, who reached the mark in 1896 at the age of 39 years and 180 days.
The 39-year-old also reached another landmark by becoming the joint fourth-fastest Pakistan bowler to claim 100 Test wickets, achieving the feat in his 22nd Test match.
England great George Lohmann holds the world record for the fastest to 100 Test wickets, having reached the milestone in just 16 matches, while several Pakistan bowlers also feature among the quickest to the landmark.
Oldest players to reach 100 Test wickets
- Noman Ali (Pakistan) – 39y 217d
- Bobby Peel (England) – 39y 180d
- Ray Illingworth (England) – 39y 30d
- Clarrie Grimmett (Australia) – 39y 22d
- Sydney Barnes (England) – 38y 310d
Fastest Pakistani bowlers to 100 Test wickets
- Yasir Shah – 17 matches
- Saeed Ajmal – 19 matches
- Waqar Younis – 20 matches
- Mohammad Asif – 20 matches
- Noman Ali – 22 matches*
- Fazal Mahmood – 22 matches
- Saqlain Mushtaq – 23 matches
Sports
Craig Morton, quarterback who led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, dead at 83
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Former Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton, who was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame, died on Saturday. He was 83.
Morton was critical in helping the Broncos reach their first-ever playoff appearance, ultimately getting them to Super Bowl XII during the 1977 campaign.
After going 12-2 during the season, and getting wins in the playoffs over the Pittsburgh Steelers and then-Oakland Raiders, Morton was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Year.
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Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton stands on the sidelines with both hands on his hips. (GETTY)
“Craig Morton is unbelievable,” fellow Ring of Famer Haven Moses said after the Broncos won the AFC Championship in 1978, per the New York Times. “To me, he’s the most valuable player in the National Football League.”
Morton also won Sporting News Player of the Year, the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year and the NFL UPI MVP in 1977.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of #BroncosROF quarterback Craig Morton, who died on Saturday at the age of 83,” the Broncos posted on social media.
Morton also led the Broncos to two different division titles and three playoff berths during his six seasons with the franchise. He finished his career in Denver with 11,895 passing yards, which marked the most in franchise history at the time.
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Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
Morton also led the Broncos with pass attempts (1,594) and completions (907). But Morton’s time with the Broncos was the latter half of his NFL career.
He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, the fifth overall pick out of Cal. Morton spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Cowboys, where he threw for 10,279 yards with 80 touchdowns and 73 interceptions. He went 32-14-1 in his time with Dallas.
Then, during the 1974 season, Morton was moved to the New York Giants, a division rival of the Cowboys. He went 1-6 in his first seven starts that year and wouldn’t find much success in New York across three seasons.
Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
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For his career, Morton threw for 27,908 yards with 183 touchdowns. He owned an 81-62-1 record across 207 games.
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Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza’s year couldn’t have been more perfect.
He led his Hoosiers to an unblemished 16-0 season, captured the national championship in historic fashion and won the 2025 Heisman before being selected first in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Raiders.
Now that the path is clear for a new athlete to leave NYC in December holding the Heisman, who will it be?
Here are the way-too-early odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 5.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
2026 Heisman Trophy Winner
CJ Carr (Notre Dame): +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Arch Manning (Texas): +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Julian Sayin (Ohio State): +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Dante Moore (Oregon): +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss): +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Josh Hoover (TCU): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Darian Mensah (Miami, FL): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State): +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Gunner Stockton (Georgia): +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Sam Leavitt (Arizona State): +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Marcel Reed (Texas A&M): +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Jayden Maiava (USC): +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
John Mateer (Oklahoma): +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Here’s more on a few of the names on the 2026 Heisman oddsboard:
The Favorites: Carr and Manning are tied at +750 to win the Heisman Trophy at the end of the 2026 regular season. And the latter is no stranger to Heisman talk. He opened as the favorite for the 2025 Heisman at several books and right before the season kicked off, bettors were hammering Manning’s futures. The excitement over Manning was short-lived once his Longhorns went 4-2 to begin the season. If he is at least named a finalist, he would follow in the footsteps of his uncles and his grandfather, as both Peyton and Eli Manning, and their dad Archie, were Heisman finalists during their college careers.
Arch Manning is an early favorite to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy.
Ones to Watch: Ohio State teammates Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin are two players to watch for next season’s Heisman — especially because they were both in the conversation to win the award most of 2025. Sayin, in fact, was a Heisman finalist and finished fourth in the race with eight first-place votes. Smith didn’t make the trip to New York but finished sixth in the tally. FOX Sports college football writer RJ Young projects that both Smith and Sayin — as well as Manning — will be in the running in 2026.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin could make another trip to NYC — but this time as the winner.
Heisman in Troy?: Could Maiava bring the hardware back to SC from NYC? Based on the early odds, he could have at least a slight chance. If the Trojans’ QB wins the most coveted individual award in college football, he’d be the first USC player since Caleb Williams (2022) to do so. Maiava finished the 2025 season with 3,711 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, as his squad ended the year with a 9-4 record.
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