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.”

A little over a week after he and Taylor Swift revealed their engagement, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce spoke publicly about the announcement for the first time.

The duo’s engagement marked the latest chapter in a highly publicized relationship, dating back to when Swift was spotted at a Chiefs game during Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. A few months before, Kelce had joked on his “New Heights” podcast about trying and failing to connect with Swift at one of the singer/songwriter’s Eras Tour concerts.

Ahead of Kansas City’s season debut against the Los Angeles Chargers, Kelce talked about his engagement to Swift and the couple’s relationship.

“I got one more ring from it,” Kelce said, drawing laughs. “Ever since I’ve been dating Taylor, life has been fun, it’s been exciting. Obviously, a lot more eyes — and I accept that. I’m living life on a high.”

Travis Kelce on his life & engagement with Taylor Swift. pic.twitter.com/F81eVNoYwT

— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) September 4, 2025

Kelce and Swift’s engagement announcement currently has 36 million likes on Instagram, one of the 10 most-liked posts in the platform’s history.

The Chiefs’ regular season will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday night from Corinthians Arena in São Paulo.

Chelsea and United States women’s national team forward Catarina Macario said she feels Serena Williams’ new affiliation with her club perfectly encapsulates the upward trajectory of women’s football.

In May, 23-time Grand Slam singles winner Williams’ husband, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, announced he had purchased a reported 8-10% stake, worth around £20 million ($26.87m), in the six-time reigning Women’s Super League (WSL) champions.

The couple flew over for the FA Cup final four days later at Wembley — where Macario scored in the 3-0 victory over Manchester United — on a weekend Ohanian predicted his new investment could become a billion-dollar operation.

“This is a win for women’s football,” Macario, asked about Williams’ presence, told PA. “It’s a win for women’s sports.

“It doesn’t really matter who you root for, it’s just to have someone like that back the game, back the women’s game, it’s just tremendous.

“It’s amazing. It’s so cool. We all know who Serena is, she was a role model growing up, and to have someone like her be part of the team and the club is an incredible support.

“I think it really shows how far the game is going. I think people are starting to wake up and know, actually, this is very profitable.”

Chelsea get their title defense underway with Friday’s WSL season opener against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Macario joined Chelsea from Lyon in July 2023 but did not make her debut until March 2024, scoring six minutes after coming on against Leicester to end a 20-month recovery from serious injury.

The U.S. forward is no stranger to relocation. She moved to the U.S. from Brazil at age 12, a period she said was a “very tough, very difficult transition which required a lot of sacrifices from myself and my family.”

She added: “We went through a lot to make my dream come true and to get me to the point where I am today. Not knowing any English, being separated from your mom, and just starting a whole new life is always very tough, especially at that age, but I guess it is something that has proved to have been worth it.

“I think, as hard as it was, I would do it all over again if I had to, if I knew that it would lead to so many open doors.”

One of those doors led to Lyon, where she played a critical role in their 2021-22 French title and Champions League-winning campaigns, scoring 23 goals in 33 games.

That spell left her in a unique position when Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, left at the end of the 2023-24 season to become her national team head coach. Her former Lyon boss, Sonia Bompastor, was named as Hayes’ replacement at Stamford Bridge.

Any questions about how difficult it might be for the Frenchwoman to follow the charismatic Hayes were answered when Chelsea sealed an unbeaten domestic treble in Bompastor’s first season in charge.

“I wasn’t surprised in the slightest,” Macario added. “She’s a serial winner. That’s just who she is. She demands the very best from every player, every staff member.

“She took us to even greater lengths and now that we are one year into her era, we’re all excited to see what more we can achieve.”

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