Broncos analysis: What Micah Parsons’ market-shattering deal means, doesn’t mean for Nik Bonitto

The forecast wasn t exactly a complicated one but Nik Bonitto nailed it all the same He did the equivalent of putting your finger in your mouth briefly and then holding it up in the air to determine which way the breeze is blowing This wind it just so happens is driving the price for edge rushers higher And higher And higher The edge field it s just going to keep going up and up with the guys that are still needing to be signed Bonitto mentioned in recent weeks And just the position that I m in is advantageous whether it was last year or the confidence I feel I m going to put myself in this year The latest push came in the form of a historic earthquake of a pre-Week arrangement Thursday when Dallas sent All-Pro Micah Parsons to Green Bay for multiple first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark The Packers in turn worked out a disclosed four-year deal worth million that comes with million guaranteed It makes Parsons already on a Hall-of-Fame career arc at years old the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history Not only that but the average annual value of million and the guarantee number both blow the roof off the top of the edge rusher industry though there are still particulars about the deal that haven t been fully stated Regardless of exactly where the numbers shake out though Parsons deal can only mean good things for edge rushers in line to be paid soon Bonitto entering the final year of his rookie contract at is right near the front of that line Parsons deal doesn t represent an apples-to-apples comparison for Bonitto Parsons is already a two-time first-team All-Pro with unique versatility and four -sack seasons as much as it makes for a clear picture of the edge rusher landscape within which Bonitto s gang and the Broncos will negotiate That landscape has changed considerably over the program of the offseason In March Las Vegas Maxx Crosby million per year Danielle Hunter one year added at million and Myles Garrett million per year each signed essentially top-of-the-market extensions Then in July Pittsburgh gave T J Watt million per year and million fully guaranteed Earlier this week the bitter standoff between Cincinnati and Trey Hendrickson ended when the sides agreed to a one-year deal worth million that can inch up a bit from there It all adds up to this A year ago no participant categorized as an edge rusher by OvertheCap made more than Nick Bosa s million per year and he was the league s only -plus million edge Now five make more and there are seven at million-plus The guarantees vary participant to performer as do the lengths of the deals and the stage of careers that those players were in when they signed their contracts Further down the edge rusher pecking order Kansas City s George Karlaftis and Buffalo s Greg Rousseau signed for million per year and million per year respectively this offseason Does all of that make Bonitto a million-a-year athlete A million-a-year athlete That s for his agent and Denver s front office to work out But consider this Entering the season the No mark at edge sat at million Now it s million a explosion One thought-provoking wrinkle Though the top of the field has gone bonkers the No mark has only moved from million to million increase Each player in the top category has considerably more NFL track record than Bonitto Watt has career sacks and six seasons of -plus sacks Garrett has career sacks and seven seasons with -plus sacks Hunter has and six and Hendrickson a Payton draft pick in and four Bonitto has and one last year when he racked up Of subject Bonitto s younger than any of those players If a deal doesn t get done in the next week and he gets off to a fast start to the season his leverage will only continue to rise as free agency comes closer into view week by week You understand it when you sign with a year left remaining well there s a cost to that a little bit but you gain another year of safety from injury Payton disclosed earlier this month When you sign as a free agent that number is maybe bigger Related Articles Sean Payton says Broncos ILBs Alex Singleton Dre Greenlaw may be on pitch count We ve got to be smart Sean Payton building Broncos rep as QB maturation destination with Sam Ehlinger GM George Paton asserts Broncos roster has recipe to win a lot of games How Broncos Nik Bonitto added finesse power to speed-rush It s going to be very spooky AFC West preview Can Bo Nix Broncos end Chiefs division domination So those are all the decisions that weigh into the sportsman and the organization s mind Broncos general manager George Paton was appealed about negotiations with Bonitto earlier Thursday and he didn t say much only that we ve done a good job of keeping these things quiet and respectful We re just going to keep it that way Bonitto constantly seemed content waiting for the last pieces of the puzzle to come together before worrying about his own status Now the cards are all on the table and the sides can get down to business Whether a deal materializes in the coming days or like edge Jonathon Cooper in a similar end-of-rookie-contract scenario last year in the middle of the season life is good for a budding star on the edge Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis