Zach Allen spent the past year-plus cementing himself as a central force on Denver\u2019s talented defense.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019ll be paid like one of the game\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
The Broncos defensive tackle came to an agreement with the team on a four-year, $102 million contract extension, according to multiple league sources. The deal comes with $69.5 million in guarantees and Allen is now under contract with the club through 2029.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old broke out in 2024, logging 8.5 sacks and leading all defensive tackles in the NFL with 67 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.<\/p>\n
His run of premier play in Denver dates back further than that, though, to the middle of the 2023 season when Allen really hit his stride.<\/p>\n
The Broncos originally signed the former third-round pick out of Boston College to a three-year deal as a free agent before the 2023 season. He spent the first four years of his career in Arizona, where he played for now-Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.<\/p>\n
Allen played the best football of his career last fall and dominated in big games. He had a hand, for example, in five different sacks of Cincinnati star Joe Burrow in a critical late-December matchup. He logged four or more pressures in 10 of the 16 games he played in and played a whopping 89% of defensive snaps.<\/p>\n
All of those marks made Allen an easy call as an extension candidate this year as he prepared to enter the final year of his contract.<\/p>\n
Allen jumps to No. 3 among interior defensive linemen in terms of average annual value at $25.5 million per season. That puts him near the top of the list of 15 other interior defensive linemen in the NFL to top $20 million per season in average annual contract value. There are only three others who make north of $25 million per season, including Milton Williams, who got $26 million per year from New England back in March as a free agent.<\/p>\n