Broncos Plan Bonitto Payday: Karlaftis Deal Sets $93M Ceiling for Denver’s Edge Rusher!

While the Denver Broncos work on an extension for Nik Bonitto, other pass rushers have been getting extended around the NFL. The latest extension was for George Karlaftis from the Kansas City Chiefs, and it gave the Broncos some good news. 

On the extension, the Chiefs gave Karlaftis $93 million over four years with $62 million guaranteed. Why is that good news for the Broncos? Well, it gives them a ceiling for a potential Bonitto extension. 

This may be upsetting for some Broncos fans, but Karlaftis has been the better player over the length of their careers. One significant difference is that Karlaftis is a significantly better run defender, and his overall production has been better; he is also almost two years younger than Bonitto. 

In their careers, Bonitto has 23 sacks, compared to Karlaftis’ 24.5, with 49 games played and 44 starts for Karlaftis, versus 47 games played and 20 starts for Bonitto. Karlaftis also has more passes deflected with 15 to Bonittos' 9, more tackles with 115 to 92, and more quarterback hits with 56  to 47. The only thing Bonitto has more of is fumbles forced. 

On top of that, Karlaftis led all edge rushers in quarterback hits, per ProFootballFocus.com, with 25, eight more than the next highest. Meanwhile, Bonitto was tied for 18th. But again, the biggest difference between the two is what Karlaftis has done as a run defender, which Bonitto doesn’t come close to. 

That doesn’t mean Bonitto hasn’t been great, and he is still headed for a big payday, either from the Broncos or from another team. Of course, it’d be smart for the Broncos to retain the pass rusher, even with his issues against the run. 

As a pass rusher, Bonitto is like a pitcher with a 102-mph fastball and not much else. It's great that he has that pitch, but the lack of variation can make it easier to handle. Plus, his high slack of strength is apparent in the run game, and even as a pass rusher, he can struggle to go through tackles. 

Pass rushers have to have that strength because at some point, they have to go through the tackle to get to the quarterback. Bonitto has done great to use his burst and athleticism to take the corner and beat tackles around the edge, but it’ll be difficult to be even more disruptive without adding moves and strength. 

Bonitto has been a star for the Broncos, while Karlaftis hasn’t received the same level of attention, partly due to the other stars on the Chiefs' defense. Despite the lack of attention, Karlaftis has been a good and consistent player for the Chiefs, which is why his extension is good news for the Broncos. 

If the Broncos want to finalize this deal, they should consider the extension Karlaftis agreed to, adjust the terms to include a lower amount, and send it to Bonitto and his agents for review. Whatever ends up happening from there, the Broncos would be mistaken to offer Bonitto more than Karlaftis got. This is good news for the team; now they need to put it into use.