Broncos CB Pat Surtain II Nominated for Best NFL Player of 2025 ESPY

Denver Broncos' All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II has been nominated for Best NFL Player at the 2025 ESPYS. Broncos fans can vote for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year here.

Surtain has been nominated alongside Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Stiff competition, but as the only defensive player on the list, Broncos Country can help Surtain overcome his long odds by voting.

Surtain is coming off a phenomenal fourth year, garnering Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors on the way to bringing home the Broncos' first DPoY award since Hall-of-Famer Randy Gradishar in 1978. Surtain totaled 45 tackles, four interceptions, 11 passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 2024.

In the history of the Broncos, two players have won the ESPY for Best NFL Player, an award that began in 1993. In 1999, Broncos' running back Terrell Davis won the award on the heels of eclipsing the 2,000-yard rushing mark and being named the NFL's MVP in 1998. The Broncos won their second straight World Championship that year.

Peyton Manning won the ESPY for Best NFL Player in 2014, after rewriting the passing records in the NFL history books. In 2013, Manning passed for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, both of which still stand as single-season NFL records, as the Broncos scored the most points in league history (606), another mark that teams will continue to struggle to eclipse moving forward.

Manning earned his fifth NFL MVP award that year, and led the Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII where they were devastated by the Seattle Seahawks. But Manning got back on the horse and won a ring for the Broncos in Super Bowl 50, two years later. Then he rode off into the sunset of retirement, like his boss John Elway once did — as a World Champ.

Surtain was drafted No. 9 overall by the Broncos in 2021 out of Alabama. The accolades began in Year 2, and entering his fifth NFL season, Surtain is now a three-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro, and the reigning DPoY.

The Broncos extended Surtain last summer, which will keep him around for the foreseeable future. At just 25 years old, he still has a lot of football left to be played.

When it comes to Surtain's outlook for this award, it won't be easy to unseat the NFL's reigning MVP, Allen. The Broncos' shutdown cornerback has a lot of momentum working for him, but a defensive player has never won this particular ESPY, so we'll see if Surtain can snap that particular streak.