Broncos, guard Quinn Meinerz agree to four-year, $80 million extension

Quinn Meinerz, one of the NFL’s best young offensive linemen, is getting a mile high raise.

Meinerz and the Denver Broncos have agreed to terms on a four-year, $80 million contract extension, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday. The deal includes $45 million in guarantees.

The third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was heading into the final season of his rookie contract with a base salary of $3.36 million. General manager George Paton and his staff decided to lock up the 25-year-old for the future — and before training camp — with a contract that puts him among the highest-paid guards in the league.

In 2023, Meinerz earned an overall grade of 83.7 from PFF, the best grade of his three seasons so far and third among backs behind the Atlanta Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom (87.7) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Kevin Dotson (84.4). That means his salary will now match his performance and continue an incredible football journey for the Division III product who became an NFL standout just three years after losing his final season at Wisconsin-Whitewater to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over his three seasons, Meinerz has played in 45 games, including 39 as a starter, improving each year. He started all 17 games last season at right guard, allowing two sacks and overwhelming opponents on the ground, as evidenced by his 88.7 PFF run-blocking grade.

Heading into training camp, the Broncos will have a competition at quarterback between first-round rookie Bo Nix, Zach Wilson, and Jarrett Stidham. While it remains to be seen who will be Denver’s starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2024 season, the Broncos have smartly secured a massive building block up front for the foreseeable future.