The Denver Broncos will have their entire group in for training camp starting July 22, and they still have several lingering matters to tend to with veterans like Zach Allen.
A former third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals, who followed Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph in the latter’s return to Denver, Allen earned All-Pro Second Team honors and even registered votes for Defensive Player of the Year.
Allen finished the 2024 regular season with a career-high 8.5 sacks, third-most on the Broncos.
“Allen had a phenomenal 2024 season. He had a run stop rate of 89% — second at his position — and he had 59 pressures, which tied with Chiefs’ Chris Jones for the highest total among interior linemen,” ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote on June 26. “However, Allen’s contract voids after the 2025 season. He’ll be 29 in 2026, still in his prime, so the Broncos should extend him to solidify the middle of their defense for the next three or four seasons.”
Allen also tallied career highs with 61 total stops and 15 tackles for loss, and he started every game for the second straight season, missing the finale in 2024 due to rest.
Allen’s effort was part of a league-leading and franchise-record 63 sacks for the Broncos.
Zach Allen Looking to Cash Out
GettyZach Allen #99 of the Denver Broncos reacts after a sack against the Buffalo Bills.
Allen is entering the final year of a three-year, $45.7 million contract, and he is expected to seek a substantial raise from his $15.2 million average annual salary.
“Heading into the final year of his contract, Broncos defensive end Zach Allen is seeking a lucrative extension,” the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson wrote in March. “One source said Allen is seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $25 million per season.”
The issue for Allen is that the Broncos have other veterans who contributed just as much to the team’s success last season, some of whom also have more roster seniority.
Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton is in that latter group.
“In Allen, receiver Courtland Sutton and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, the Broncos have three stars on expiring deals who could command upwards of $20 million a year,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans wrote in May.
“Allen’s value is the hardest to pinpoint, factoring in a fairly inconsistent market for defensive linemen and the breadth of his abilities to play both from the interior and off the edge. He also made a massive leap in 2024 relative to previous seasons. Still, he was one of the best pass-rushers in the league and is still fairly young, entering his age-28 season in 2025.”
The Broncos could have a more difficult time replacing Allen than it might seem on the surface, given his production relative to his national profile.
Broncos’ Zach Allen ‘Most Underrated’ IDL
GettyZach Allen #99 of the Denver Broncos reacts against the Green Bay Packers.
Schatz previously highlighted Allen as one of two Broncos players who are the “most underrated” at their respective positions, with offensive tackle Garett Bolles as the other.
“Even though he was chosen as a second-team All-Pro, I’m not sure most fans outside of Denver realize just how good Allen was in 2024. He plays as a 5-technique defensive end in Denver’s 3-4 scheme and was key for the Broncos’ unit. He dominated in defeats, which is the sum of big defensive plays (turnovers, tackles for a loss and tackles/passes defensed to prevent a conversion on third or fourth down). Allen’s 25 defeats tied for second among interior defensive linemen,” Schatz wrote in May, noting the veteran was one off the lead.
“Allen was also second in run stop rate (89%), which measures how often one of his tackles prevented a successful run for the offense. He had 36 pressures for good measure, which ranked second to the Chiefs’ Chris Jones among interior linemen in 2024.”
Allen ranked third in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate last season, too; a plus for the Broncos vet.
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