It didn’t take long during the Broncos’ training camp in 2021 for Christian Parker to realize Pat Surtain II could be special.

A rookie at the time, Surtain had never played any reps at nickel because Parker, in his first year as a defensive backs coach in Denver, didn’t want to overwork him. But when former Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan was forced to exit practice with an injury, Parker moved Surtain over to nickel.

One snap later, Surtain recorded an interception.

“I was like, ‘This guy is a natural,’” Parker told The Denver Post. “… You saw traces of it (on) film, but that was the moment when I knew he could do whatever he wanted on the field.”

Three seasons later, Surtain has proven Parker’s intuition correct. With a rare blend of size (6-foot-2, 202 pounds), athleticism (4.46 seconds in 40-yard dash) and football smarts, Surtain has become one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. The 23-year-old was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022 and selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl on Wednesday — with even more All-Pro nods expected.

Broncos legend Champ Bailey says he’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Former Seattle Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman has compared him to first-ballot Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons isn’t so sure the NFL has seen anyone quite like Surtain.

“He’s a one-of-one type of player,” Simmons told The Post. “You don’t come across that guy in every draft.”

When a team does, a massive payday is pretty much guaranteed to follow.

And that will soon be the case for Surtain, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason with one year and a potential fifth-year team option left on his rookie deal.

Pro Football Focus and Over the Cap analyst Brad Spielberger told The Denver Post that Surtain could command an annual salary between $24.5 million and $27 million. Those numbers would make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, pushing him past deals signed by Cleveland’s Denzel Ward (five years, $100.5 million) and Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander (four years, $84 million) in 2022, and Miami’s Jalen Ramsey (five years, $100 million) in 2020.

“If I’m (Surtain’s) agent, that’s where I’m starting the conversation,” Spielberger said.

Surtain told The Post that a contract extension has registered in his mind, but being so early in his career, he tries to not dwell on it as much. Still, the Broncos are approaching decision time with their 2021 first-round pick. Denver can sign Surtain to an extension, making him a centerpiece of the defense for years to come. Or the Broncos can run the gamble of trading him for future assets.

Either decision will shape the outlook for the team moving forward. For now, Surtain wants to keep improving on his craft, which would inevitably strengthen his case.

“I’m just focused on elevating my play so I could negotiate in that manner,” Surtain told The Post.

“A freaking human blanket”

Following every practice, head coach Sean Payton has a player break the team down in a huddle. During the team’s practice ahead of its matchup against New England, it was Surtain’s turn.

Well aware of his reputation as a man of few words, Payton kidded his star cornerback, “Just (say) more than three syllables.”

“I felt kind of played,” Surtain said with a grin.

In Denver, Surtain is known to be a quiet guy in the locker room, even though he has the loudest resume. His personality is a true reflection of how he approaches the game: calm, cool, never rattled.

Those traits were noticeable the moment Surtain stepped on Alabama’s campus. In his first scrimmage as a true freshman, Surtain matched up against future Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle. Former Crimson Tide defensive backs coach Karl Scott recalled Waddle catching a few passes with Surtain in coverage. But the young cornerback never rode the rollercoaster of emotion. His approach remained the same.

Scott knew Surtain had the intelligence and physical traits to be an elite cornerback in the league. But in that moment, Scott realized Surtain’s mental disposition would take him to greater heights.

“If you created a cornerback, you would look at No. 2,” Scott, now the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive backs coach, told The Post.

Parker said Surtain is good at not overreacting to anything, be it a wide receiver’s release or processing what’s happening pre-snap. Parker believes Surtain was gifted with those traits.

Surtain, on the other hand, credits everything to his preparation. He spends countless hours watching film. Even in the mornings before a game, he is studying the quarterback’s and receiver’s tendencies, routes and alignment, so that when he is on the field, it feels like he’s two steps ahead.

“Look how smart he is, knowing different route combinations and situations,” said Broncos receiver Brandon Johnson, Surtain’s high school teammate. “He’s super patient at the line of scrimmage. … Pat’s got the full package.”

What stand out to safety P.J. Locke are the subtle movements Surtain makes on the field. In Denver’s Week 4 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, receiver Davante Adams tried to break free from Surtain on a curl route, but couldn’t. Surtain was able to turn his body, wrap around Adams and break up the pass.

“For your body to spin around and still be nailed to the receiver, that’s different,” Locke said. “… He’s a freaking human blanket.”

“You are doing something good”

When Surtain was a junior at American Heritage, Pat Surtain Sr. began to notice opposing quarterbacks were hesitant to test his son.

“I thought that was kind of rare,” said Pat Sr., a one-time All-Pro defensive back himself who was also his son’s high school DBs coach.

During Surtain’s first two years at Alabama, quarterbacks had no choice but to throw in his direction because future All-Pro Trevon Diggs was on the other side of the field. But when Diggs moved on to the NFL, Scott began to see quarterbacks drift away from him.

“He never wavered in his approach and never got bored,” Scott said.

That trend has continued in the NFL.

At first glance, one might look at Surtain’s combined interception total (3) over the last two seasons and conclude he’s an average cornerback. But much of that can be chalked up to limited opportunity.

Last season Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence did whatever he could to avoid throwing near Surtain, targeting his receiver just twice all game. The first resulted in a defensive pass interference. The second, a short pass to running back JaMycal Hasty, was a 4-yard loss.

This season, Surtain has squared off against some of the top wideouts in the league and the targets have been minimal. In Denver’s 29-12 win over the Cleveland Browns, Amari Cooper was targeted four times against Surtain, recording one catch for 11 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Against the Bills in Week 10, Surtain limited Stefon Diggs to one catch for 11 yards on just one target.

“It doesn’t go on the stat sheet, but when the quarterback doesn’t look your way, you are doing something good,” Surtain said.

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Surtain’s ability to take over one side of the field has its benefits when trying to game-plan pressures and coverages.

“If Pat is always playing right or left, (opponents) can always avoid him. If I know (where) Pat’s playing for us schematically, I can push the ball back to him,” Joseph explained. “Certain receivers want to avoid Pat’s coverage, but I can push their best guy back to Pat or push the quarterback’s read back to (him). (There are) ways we use him to help our entire defense.”

Still, even the best cornerbacks get tested in the NFL. And sometimes they get beat.

It was Surtain’s turn in Week 11 against the Raiders last season, when Adams turned him around on a double move that resulted in a wide-open 35-yard touchdown pass to beat the Broncos in overtime.

How Surtain responded the next time the two met, in Week 1 of this season, spoke volumes: Following Adams the majority of the game, the All-Pro pass catcher had just two catches for 16 yards on five targets.

“Whenever (quarterbacks) look at me and allow me to make plays, I’m gonna capitalize on that,” Surtain said.

“He’s the type of player I’d build around”

After Surtain was named the 2023 Demaryius Thomas Team MVP this past week, he stood in front of reporters, humble as always. While expressing his appreciation for the honor bestowed on him by local media members, Surtain said he’s running out of room in the award section of his basement.

Simmons said very few players in the league can do what Surtain does every Sunday. He believes it would be a big deal for the franchise if Surtain can further cement his legacy with the Broncos.

“I don’t like to compare, but it would be very Champ Bailey-esque to have a constant (player) in the back end that you can rely on,” Simmons said. “He fits the pedigree of what a Bronco was when I was coming in here.”

Surtain told The Post that he loves being in Denver and it would mean a lot to him to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come. A long-term deal would solidify that.

“Year after year, I’m just trying to get to that next level. I would love to be here for that,” Surtain said.

Denver doesn’t have to make the deal right away. Surtain will earn $6.69 million next season on his current rookie deal, and the soonest he can hit free agency is 2025. The team still has a fifth-year option for the ’25 season and the franchise tag in its back pocket. According to Over the Cap, Surtain’s fifth-year option was boosted to $18.41 million after being named to his second Pro Bowl.

Spielberger doesn’t expect Denver and Surtain to agree to a deal this offseason because teams typically don’t give extensions to non-quarterbacks after their third season. The 49ers, for example, didn’t make edge rusher Nick Bosa the highest-paid defensive player in the league (five years, $170 million) until after his fifth season.

Still, Spielberger said it would be wise for the Broncos to strike a deal before other top corners in the league sign on the dotted line. Surtain could also benefit from signing an extension if the Broncos are willing to do a shorter deal that allows him to hit unrestricted free agency sooner.

At the same time, Denver has several needs to address this offseason but minimal draft capital to do it with. After the Broncos drafted five players in 2023 — their smallest draft class since 2007 — they have only six picks in 2024, excluding the second-rounder sent to New Orleans to bring Payton to Denver.

In addition, Denver could soon be hamstrung by the salary cap and forced to eat $85 million in dead money if it chooses to cut Russell Wilson and go looking for another quarterback.

If the Broncos wanted to solve that problem by moving up in the draft to take USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye, Surtain is easily the best trade chip that they have.

When Jacksonville dealt Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, the team received two first-round draft picks and a fourth-round pick for the All-Pro cornerback — a return Spielberger says the Broncos should demand if they were to ever consider trading Surtain.

“(Surtain) is a clear-cut top-five guy. He’s young and scheme (diverse),” he said. “I don’t see why (Denver) would take less than two first (round picks).”

Of course, it’s hard to imagine the Broncos entertaining such conversations. Shutdown cornerbacks like Surtain don’t come around often. When teams draft one, they typically hold on to them.

“He’s the type of player I’d want to build around,” ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said. “I think any time you have a guy at one of the four or five positions who looks like a perennial All-Pro when he’s in his third year, personally I think it’d be horrible to trade him away.”

Broncos reporter Parker Gabriel contributed to this report.

Largest contracts for a cornerback in NFL history

Source: overthecap.com

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