New Bills OT Extension Could be a Blueprint for Broncos & Garett Bolles

What would a Garett Bolles extension look like?

Oct 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) celebrates following the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles is in the final year of the four-year extension he signed back in 2020. While he will be 33 years old next season, he continues to play well overall.

Should Bolles hit free agency, it’s likely there will be multiple teams interested in him. While many Broncos fans would hope for a playmaking receiver or tight end, it would be wise to invest money into keeping Bolles.

In doing so, the Broncos would ensure continuity on the offensive line. The line’s pass protection overall has benefitted quarterback Bo Nix, enabling him to improve as a passer as he goes through his reads and looks for the open player.

While salaries for offensive linemen continue to rise, with some getting as much as $25 million in APY salary, it may not cost that much to extend Bolles, who will be in line for the third contract of his career.

It turns out another team recently extended a veteran offensive lineman, giving him a third contract. That would be the Buffalo Bills, who gave a three-year extension to Dion Dawkins this past offseason.

The Dawkins Deal

The Bills needed to make multiple moves to become cap compliant for 2024. One of the moves was to give Dawkins a short-term extension.

The Bills signed him to a three-year, $60.02M contract, with $30.2M fully guaranteed upon signing. The extension effectively keeps Dawkins with the Bills through 2025, though with some injury protection in 2026.

The Bills gave Dawkins a $5M option bonus in 2025 to keep his contract cap friendly. In 2026, he is due $15.465M in base salary, of which $4.75M is guaranteed for injury only.

He’s also due a roster bonus of $500K. The Bills added two void years for cap purposes but could still get out of the deal in 2026 if necessary. 

In summary, the Bills kept a key player on the offensive line for two more seasons, while giving him a raise over his previous contract, which was for four years at $58.3M with $29.5M guaranteed.

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What it Means for Bolles

Bolles signed a four-year, $68M contract with $21M in guarantees back in 2020. The Dawkins extension could be a Broncos blueprint for a Bolles extension.

The Broncos could give Bolles a slight raise by giving him a three-year deal for between $63M and $66M with between $31M and $33M fully guaranteed. They can structure a deal to ensure Bolles is with the team through 2026.

The Broncos could also offer some injury protection in 2027, but still have flexibility to move on if Bolles’ play were to decline.

Given that the Broncos have found ways to keep contracts for right guard Quinn Meinerz and rush linebacker Jonathon Cooper from re-setting the market for players of their type but still reward them for their play, it shouldn’t be difficult for the team to do the same with Bolles.

The only question is whether the Broncos will extend Bolles. The one thing that may cause them not to do so is his age.

But the offensive line’s quality play has been a boon to Nix, so it would be a good idea to keep Bolles for at least the next two years. The Broncos can still find ways to add playmakers on offense while paying Bolles and other offensive linemen.

Here’s hoping the Broncos will get a deal done with Bolles soon.

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