Broncos LT Garett Bolles Exorcises His QB Demons After Inking New Deal

The Denver Broncos' franchise left tackle has weathered the quarterback storm.

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 13: Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) during a game between the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, CO on October 13, 2024. / Kevin Langley / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Garett Bolles has just signed the third contract of his Denver Broncos career. Drafted at No. 20 overall in 2017, Bolles had his early ups and downs as a young player but finally found his footing in 2020.

The Broncos rewarded their left tackle with a lucrative extension, and Bolles has gone on to earn it. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his post-2019 success has been his resilience in the face of organizational and quarterback instability.

Let's face it; Bolles has blocked the blind side of a who's-who list of botched Broncos quarterbacks: Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen, Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater, and Russell Wilson. It's not exactly conducive to the development of a young offensive tackle.

But perhaps that additional obstacle helped to hone Bolles into the quick-on-his-feet and tough-minded veteran that he is today. Fortunately, the quarterback carousel days seem to be in the rear-view, as Bo Nix's arrival and emergence have changed the game for Bolles and the Broncos.

"We have an amazing young quarterback who's going to do what he needs to do," Bolles said on Wednesday after news broke of his new four-year, $86 million extension.

The struggles outside of Bolles' control over the years haven't been lost on him. He was despondent at his locker following the Broncos' ugly Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, lamenting how he was sick of the losing, and even on the heels of signing his new deal, he couldn't help but reference the specters of the past.

"I haven’t had consistency here," Bolles said. "It’s a new coach, a new offensive line coach, new left guard, new quarterback. It just goes on, and on and on. You can’t win games doing that."

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August 18, 2024, Denver, Colorado, USA: Broncos QB Bo Nix gets congrats from teammate Garett Bolles after throwing a TD pass during the 1st. Half at Empower Field at Mile High Sunday Night. The Broncos beat the Packers 27-2. / Hector Acevedo / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Sean Payton would concur. The new culture that Payton has cultivated since arriving in 2023 paid immediate dividends, with the Broncos improving their win total year-over-year by three in Year 1. But Payton was missing a critical ingredient to completing that culture change: his hand-picked quarterback.

Enter Nix and now, the Broncos are a force to be reckoned with. Even the Bolles extension, which comes in the wake of new money also handed out to Patrick Surtain II, Quinn Meinerz, and Jonathon Cooper, epitomizes the culture change. Bolles is thrilled that he gets to continue to be part of it and finally taste some team success after seven long years of wandering the NFL desert.

The playoffs are back on the Mile High menu, with the 8-5 Broncos protecting a two-game lead for the AFC's seventh and final postseason seed.

"In this organization, when you talk about some of the greats as they come around, you get to speak to them and they played in those types of games," Bolles said. "Just the culture that we have here for so many years to now, it's awesome to be where we're at. It's not over, it's not done, we still have a lot of work to do, but we're putting people in the right positions to be successful."

As one of the first-round picks of the John Elway front-office era, Bolles knew that he'd have to earn the trust and belief of Broncos GM George Paton, Payton, O-line coach Zach Strief, and the Walton/Penner ownership group. He did just that, playing at a high level blocking for Wilson last year, and taking it up a few notches this year for Nix.

Bolles didn't agonize over his pending free agency, keeping his "eye on the prize," but he hoped that his play would do all the talking for him and his agent.

"I knew that I had to play good football to get it," Bolles said. "I knew I had to earn Coach Strief's trust. Not only that, but Coach Payton's' trust. [I had to also earn] the ownership group's trust with [Owner] Carrie [Walton Penner], [CEO & Owner] Greg [Penner], George, and all those guys in the front office. I had to earn their trust... I'm just very grateful for all those guys and them giving me that trust. I'm not going to let them down.”

Bolles is now under contract through the 2028 season when he'll be 36 years old. NFL offensive tackles now have the opportunity to play deep into their 30s, and that could be even more true for Bolles, who started his football career late after serving an LDS mission, and only playing one season of Division I college football at the University of Utah before getting drafted.

Looking across the Broncos roster, this team now has the boxes checked for the foundational, championship positions. Bolles at left tackle, Surtain at cornerback, Nik Bonitto and Cooper at rush linebacker, and last, but not least, the mythical, elusive franchise quarterback.

The Broncos are poised to be a competitive factor in the AFC for the next decade, and it's gratifying to see the flagellated and long-suffering Bolles get his ticket punched to be along for the ride. Ex-Broncos like Justin Simmons and Josey Jewell won't be as fortunate.

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