The Broncos are locking down one of their best workers in the trenches.
Denver has agreed to terms with defensive lineman Zach Allen on a four-year, $102 million contract extension that includes $69.5 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Saturday.
Allen entered the league as a 2019 third-round selection by the Cardinals and took time to develop. He started eight games across his first two seasons in Arizona before emerging as a full-time starter for the final two years of his rookie deal. As his responsibilities and usage increased, so, too, did he output. His sacks jumped in number across each campaign from 2019-2022, and by the time he hit free agency ahead of the 2023 season he had 11.5.
Considered a sturdy plug-and-play lineman, Allen cashed in and then took off with the Broncos.
He played all 17 games for the team in 2023, with five sacks and career highs of 60 tackles and 24 quarterback hits. Allen took his game to yet another level last season during a breakout that saw him recognized as a second-team All-Pro.
Allen added 8.5 sacks for a Denver defense that led the league with 63. He bested his career high in tackles from the year before with 61 and shattered his personal-best mark for QB hits with 40.
Alongside fellow pass-rushing standouts Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper and John Franklin-Myers, he helped form a stout front seven that played an integral role in the Broncos finishing third in points allowed and seventh in yards surrendered.
All four of those defenders are back, as are many of Denver's playmakers from the team's surprise playoff run last year, hopefully buoyed even further by additions Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron.
The personnel in the Mile High City gives reason for optimism in the 2025 season ahead, and Allen's multiyear extension could help turn potential into results long beyond that.
